Know Your Sins, and Repent
by Link015
Summary: I didn't know if I could do my best. I was always worried about what I could do. I thought I would never be able to succeed. So I continued my studies. I knew that...Maybe if I continued to study forever, I wouldn't have to doubt myself anymore.
1. Forgotten Emotions

Chris: Uh, yeah, I got this idea when I was thinking about a time in my game where Jaffar got berserked and killed Matthew. Made me restart my game. Stupid Jaffar. Anyway, here's a different version of the whole thing. Tell me what you think. I might make this multi-chaptered if I feel like it. Yeah, this'll probably just be an archive for various weird, psycho, depressing or angsty-like one-shot stories that I write. I don't know. Oh, and I don't own Fire Emblem. Bah.

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**Know Your Sins, and Repent: Forgotten Emotions**

He stood atop a hill that overlooked the battlefield, looking dispassionately at the numerous bodies stacked around. The land itself was red, soaked through with the blood of warriors, some of them friends. Or, at least, they had been friends. They weren't anymore. That's because they were dead. It seemed so far away for him. He felt like he was lost in a fog, and couldn't distinguish anything about the past events. _What happened? _He couldn't piece out the details, but he was certain he was the cause for their deaths.

He lifted his right arm and found a katana clutched tightly in its grip. He blinked. _When did I get this? I don't remember holding a weapon like this… _He stared at the blood that soaked on the blade, staining it a deep red in the setting sun. The blood had dried, and parts of it were flaking off. He scraped off some of the dried blood, and stared at the edge, his reflection staring right back at him. Dark blue eyes, rimmed with red. _Those are my eyes? I can't seem to remember… _He stumbled down the hill, hoping to find some sort of hint as to what had happened, and how it happened.

He paused before the body of a teenager with blond hair. He couldn't explain it, but he felt some sort of comradeship with him. He kneeled before the figure, and examined the body. The person had been killed by a quick sword slash through the heart. The swordsman stood. He seemed to recall the person's name. _Mike…Mitchew…Matthew, yeah, Matthew. _He kneeled down and found that Matthew had been clutching a locket in his hand while he had been fighting. He pried the cold fingers loose, and opened the locket. He saw a young flame-haired girl staring back out at him. _She must be Matthew's girlfriend. _He placed the locket back into Matthew's stiff hand, and flinched as parts of his memory flew back.

"_Hahahahaha! Die!" He swung his sword, his blue-green braid swinging behind him. His sword wove around his enemy's defense, chopping his foe's blade in half. Everything looked red, the color of blood. He took it as a good omen, and dashed after his opponent, who had pulled out a short dagger from his cloak._

"_Guy! What are you doing?"_

_He ignored the shout, and swung his sword at the blond man, whose dagger quickly wove in to block the strike. However, he kicked the knife out of his foe's hand and stabbed in straight through the heart, laughing as his opponent gasped in pain._

"_Le…Leila…I'm…sorry." The blond man fell to the ground, dead. He laughed, and kicked over the dead man's body. He pulled his sword out of the person's chest, still laughing as blood spurted from the wound as soon as he had taken out the sword._

"_HAHAHAHA!" He licked his blade, and dashed off in pursuit of another person to kill._

The swordsman blinked as the memory faded. _Guy…Is that my name? Matthew called me Guy, so that must be my name._ Guy shook his head and moved over to the other bodies. There was a young, red-haired man, who was slumped against a tree, a gaping hole where his chest was. _E…Eliwood…That name comes to my mind…Is that Eliwood? _Guy kneeled down to inspect this body, and found nothing of interest, except a small ring that hung around his neck. He laid it in his hand and looked it over. Another memory flashed back.

"_Ninian…Do you truly feel this way?" Eliwood stood next to a young, light teal-haired girl. The girl nodded nervously._

"_Um…Yes, Lord Eliwood. I…I love you. There is no other way to explain it." Ninian looked to the ground, her hands clasped together._

_Eliwood spun a small ring between his fingers. "This is your greatest treasure, and you give it to me?"_

"_I…It is because I…love you so, Lord Eliwood."_

"_There should be no formalities between us, Ninian. Heh, I always thought I'd be the one to tell you first."_

"_W-What?" Ninian looked up._

"_Well, I love you too, you know…Just thought I'd always tell you after this war was over." Eliwood grinned sheepishly. Ninian's response was to grab him forcefully and kiss him deeply. The red-haired lord circled his arms around his love, kissing her back._

Guy closed his eyes, trying to reclaim the memory, but it faded once again. _Is this what love is? I don't remember feeling anything like this…_ He stood up, leaving Eliwood's body behind. He shook his head as he walked across the battlefield, spotting more casualties. There was a young girl that had the same color as him. Her green hair was stained with her blood, and her body was scarred with various cuts and slashes.

He continued walking, and came across a couple of horses, whinnying and poking their noses at their dead riders. There was a cavalier with bright, orange-red hair, one with brown hair, and the last had messy green hair that covered his eyes. Guy leaned down, searching for anything that might jog his memory. He felt a special bond with these people, for some reason. He couldn't explain it, but he knew that he would remember more about his life if he searched these people.

He rummaged through the orange-haired cavalier's belongings first, pushing aside broken parts of his red armor. Guy found nothing of interest, except a small lock of green hair that belonged to the girl he had seen earlier. He wondered if anything had been going on between them. He decided to search the green-haired cavalier next, and found various utensils stuffed in his pouches. _Maybe this guy liked to cook? I still can't seem to remember…_ He placed the utensils back into the cavalier's pouches, and looked at the last one lying there. He found a small pack of cards, as well as a small feather, which was probably some sort of a token from a woman he had loved. Guy smiled inwardly as another memory rose.

"_Sain! You cheater!" The red-haired cavalier slammed his cards down and pointed at his partner, who laughed._

"_Don't be so stuck up, Kent. It's not my fault you stink at BS." Sain spread his arms out wide, smiling widely. "So, you guys want another game?"_

"_No, I've lost enough money as it is." The green-haired cavalier shook his head. "Eliwood told me to make some trail food. I'd better get started."_

"_Cook, cook, cook! Come on, Lowen! Don't you do something else?" A girl with dark blue hair smiled. Her armor was lying on the side, and she was wearing the simple gray dress that she usually wore under her armor._

"_I have many duties in this camp, Farina, and I don't always have time for fun." Lowen stood up and left, humming a small tune. _

"_Sigh…All he does is cook. How about you, Kent? Got something else to do?"_

"_Not at the moment. Lady Lyndis is busy sparring with Lord Hector, and Lord Eliwood is gone to solve some problems."_

_Farina grinned. "Heh, probably left to play hooky with Ninian. Right Sain?"_

_Sain grinned back mischeviously. "Yeah, I bet our lord would be the person to do that."_

_Kent flushed red. "Do not speak of our lord in such a disparaging manner!"_

"_Take a pill, Kent! Come on, let's play poker." Farina drew up the cards, ready to deal out another hand. The two cavaliers smiled ruefully and shook their heads._

"_We know how good you are at poker. We'll have to abstain for now." They left the table, leaving behind a disappointed Farina._

"_Eh, I'm just skilled." She began dealing out the cards in the sequence for solitaire. "Of course, it never hurts to have a joker in the deck." She grinned and flicked her hand downward, where a card suddenly appeared. She spun it around her finger, smirking at the black ace on the card. "Luckily I never have to use it." She placed back in the deck, and began playing solitaire._

Guy shook his head. He smiled at the memory, even though it was fading. _So that's what friendship and happiness is like…But…What did I do?_ He continued walking, staring at the different bodies on the floor, looking to see if he could find some sort of connection with them. He saw a small girl, not much into her teens, laying on the floor next to another person, a young man whose face seemed emotionless, even in death. Next on the path was an archer pair, a girl with long green hair in braids, and a boy with dark-brown hair. He passed by them without a thought.

Next on his route was a girl with dark-red hair. She was splayed out on the ground, blood covering her white and green dress. The blood stained her mouth, coloring it an ugly red. Guy leaned down. He felt a certain bond with this girl, which seemed to make his heart beat faster. He looked away from the horrified expression on her face, and mercifully closed her eyes. Guy sat down next to her motionless body, looking at her to see how she died. There was a huge gash across her breasts, and there was a stab wound through her stomach. A splintered piece of wood lay beside her. He closed his eyes. _No one should die so badly…Especially someone so young. But I was the one who caused this._ Guy winced as he felt another memory returning.

"_Priscilla! Guy's been hit with a berserk! Stop him!" A tall, blue haired axeman yelled orders at the dark-red haired girl, who mumbled nervously. _

"_Um…Yessir!" Priscilla searched through her belongings for a small staff made out of oak wood, and it was topped by a ruby and two topaz gems. She pulled it out quickly, and began chanting the words to the spell that would release Guy from the berserk spell's hold. The green-haired swordsman turned at the words, and lunged at her, grinning in anticipation._

_She stumbled backwards, dodging the strike. Another red-haired person stepped forward and stopped Guy's blow. "Get out of here Priscilla, and cast your spell!"_

"_Bu-But…Raymond, Lord Broth-"_

"_No buts!" Priscilla's brother grunted as he struggled to hold Guy back. Priscilla nodded in fright, and backed away, muttering the words of the spell. Guy noticed this, however, and began swinging at Raymond frantically, as it he didn't want the berserk spell to end. The multiple strikes clanged against Raymond's sword, and he struggled to keep it in his hands. However, the sword finally flew from his grasp, and Raymond was slain as Guy's sword knocked him backwards, a diagonal cut across his chest._

"_Nooooooo! Lord Brother!" Priscilla, distracted by the death of her brother, forgot all of the words of the restoration spell. Only when she saw Guy swinging his sword at her head did she break out of her dazedness. She used her Restore stave to block the blows, but the sword slowly chipped away at it, and it was soon reduced to a useless hunk of wood. _

"_G-Guy…Why…I…failed everyone…" Priscilla panted, suffering from numerous wounds on her body. Guy swung one last time with the flat of his blade, striking Priscilla in the face and knocking her to the ground. He slashed her once across the chest for good measure, and ended her suffering by plunging his sword through Priscilla's stomach._

"_Heheheh…HAHAHAHAHAHA! Give me more death!" Guy let out a maniacal laugh, and left the two broken bodies aside, looking for more victims._

Guy blinked, and found out that his face was wet with tears. He winced and moaned again and again as the memories flooded back, and he saw everyone he had killed. Florina, a young orchid-haired girl who showed lots of promise. Marcus, a grizzled veteran who had the interests of his lord before his own. Ninian, a nice and polite girl as well as Eliwood's girlfriend. Hector, the lord who put his friends and family over anything else. Erk, a studious young man who only wished to accomplish everything he could. Canas, a person who wished to study everything about the world. Fiora, a protective older sister who had died defending everyone else.

Guy didn't know about anyone else. _I probably killed them too…_ He clenched his hands and dropped his sword onto the floor. _I was the cause of all their deaths. Up in heaven, they probably all hate me…Especially Priscilla…I killed her brother too. I lost all of my honor, succumbing to the magic and letting my primal rage take over. I wasn't even able to sort out my feelings for her either. _His gaze moved over the battlefield and landed on his sword. He picked it up, running his finger over the steel working, and scraping off any blood. _You don't think it would accept another sacrifice? _Guy thought about it, and brought the blade up to his neck. He thought about it and nodded. _Yes…If I cannot apologize to them here, I will apologize to them in death, and seek forgiveness._ He slashed the blade across his neck, collapsing.

He smiled slightly as he saw the realm where his friends had departed. He ran towards it, waving at them. And in the front were his best friends…Matthew, who wore his usual cocky grin, Sain, who was tossing dice in his hand, and Karel, who was more than a master than a friend, but had watched over his training. And up in front, racing towards him was the dark red-haired girl, Priscilla. She had a smile on her face and jumped in front of Guy, who looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry…For what I did."

"We understand, Guy, and we're not angry with you. Although Hector is a bit put off at dying. Come on, Guy, let's go." Priscilla took his hand and led him towards his other friends. Guy smiled. He had found his forgiveness.

* * *

Chris: Uh yeah…Weird idea. I have no idea how I got it…Review please. And stuff like that. 

Rebecca: You killed me!

Farina: And me!

Chris: Uh… -runs away-


	2. It's Not The Same

Chris: Yep. This is actually the prize for my fic-contest winner, who was Pureauthor. He wanted Erk x Priscilla. So yeah. And you may ask, "Why am I putting it in this?" Well, it fits the theme, and I said I'd be putting all these types of one-shot fics in this collection, so here it is. Whooness. And, I must admit, it's a weird idea. But hey, it could've happened.

**Kiyoko-chan: **Thanks for the compliments and…I think the review is long enough. And next time, I'll try to make it a little longer.

**Anzu Rose: **Hmm….Yeah…I could have done that, except I never thought about that being the ending. And I'm glad how you liked the way I wrote the relationships and stuff. And I was planning to have something with Guy and Lyn, but I switched it with Priscilla. So…Yeah.

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**Know Your Sins, and Repent: It's Not the Same**

Erk paced across the floor of the Dragon's Gate, his hands clasped behind his back. His purple hair brushed against his neck, and his red robes dragged along the floor. Erk heard someone approach and he looked up. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the person. "Oh, it's you, Nergal. What do you want?"

"Now, don't talk to your master like that! Didn't I help you when you wanted something from me?" Nergal smiled patronizingly at the young mage. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Hmph. I'm doing quite well." Erk folded his arms, glaring at the Dark Druid. "Now leave me alone."

Nergal grinned. "Very well, young Erk. I trust you'll be ready for when Eliwood comes?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be ready."

"Good, good." Nergal spun and headed out the door, chuckling.

Erk, after seeing Nergal leave, slumped into a chair, holding his head. _I don't think this is worth it. Having to fight my friends? _He heard someone else enter, and hug him from behind. He stiffened, but then relaxed as he realized who it was. "Oh, hi Priiscilla." (A.N.: No, this isn't a typo. You'll see why I spelled it that way.)

"Hi Erk! How are you doing?" Priiscilla smiled and her voice cheery. Erk stood up, smiling slightly, and turned to face her.

He wrapped her in a big hug, and muttered, "Heh, I'm better now that you're here." Erk let her go, and gazed at her red hair and her slim figure. She was wearing a green and light-blue dress, and Erk smoothed out some of the wrinkles in it. Priiscilla giggled and kissed Erk lightly on the cheek.

"Glad to hear it. Well, I've got some things to do, but I'll be back!" Priiscilla walked out of the room, waving good bye to Erk. Erk waved back, and winced slightly as he spotted the color of her eyes. Those eyes, which used to be green, were now a bright shade of gold. Of course, it wasn't like that was the real Priscilla. She had died weeks ago, fighting in the war against Nergal. Erk shook his head sadly. He didn't know if the real Priscilla would like him working for the person she had fought against. But then, that was all in the past, right?

Another battle again. This time, they were fighting in Valor Isle, against Nergal's hideous army of morphs. And they all looked the same. They wore the same expressions, died in the same manner, even yelled the same curses. This is was a tough fight. Morphs kept springing out of abandoned buildings, forests, the mountains, everywhere! Erk, Rebecca, and Priscilla had been charged with wiping out the knights and generals that kept popping out of the forests that lay before the final set of ruins. It seemed easy enough. Even though they were supposed to be super-human morphs, they still moved pretty damn slow, and the forests gave the three of them excellent cover against the onslaught.

"_Fire rage in the sky! Enemies burn, wither, and die! Surround my enemy and scorch his heart! Make the evil darkness part! Elfire!"_ Erk traced an intricate symbol in the air, and a fireball the size of a meteor crashed down into the iron-clad knight. Erk winced. At least the morph didn't have to feel his flesh roasting in that heap of armor, which was now melted. He turned to the other two people fighting with him. "How are you two doing?"

"I'm doing fine!" Rebecca shouted back, shooting a silver-tipped arrow that pierced a knight's armor and killing the morph lodged inside. Erk nodded and looked to Priscilla, the person he was charged with protecting. She was panting, probably not used to a lot of physical combat. But she managed to give Erk a wide grin.

"Same here. I hope you are doing well, Erk." Priscilla winked, and Erk felt himself blush.

"Uh…I'm fine, Lady Priscilla."

"Hahaha! I thought I told you to stop being so formal with me!" Priscilla let out a chuckle and Erk followed suit. Rebecca grinned nearby.

"Come on! We're in the middle of a fight!"

"Right, right!" Erk focused back to the battle, and saw another group of armored morphs rush towards them. But he felt something else…Something sizzling…Suddenly feeling extremely scared, he turned to the two girls. "Watch out!"

"What?" Rebecca stumbled backwards, barely evading a lightning bolt that crashed where she used to be standing. Unfortunately, the resounding shockwave lifted her from the ground and caused her to collide with a tree, knocking her unconscious.

"Dammit!" Erk bit off another curse. "Priscilla! We'd better get her away from here. She'd be easy pickings for those morphs."

"R-Right!" Priscilla pulled out a Warp staff, and sent Rebecca back towards the army HQ, which was set up a couple of miles away. She turned back and saw that Erk was having problems. The morphs were smarter this time around, and they had decided to team up on Erk. He was doing a fine job of dodging and destroying the enemies that surrounded him, but she could see that he was tiring quickly.

"Huff…" Erk panted. The last enemy attacking him, a person wrapped in so much armor he was around twice Erk's height, was still standing, even after he had cast a Thunder and Elfire spell. The general held a humongous lance in his hands, and he launched it towards Erk's head. Erk let himself collapse, bringing to his mind the last spell that he could possibly cast. Knowing that he had only a couple of seconds before the general was able to ready his weapon for another strike, he chanted as quickly as possible.

"_Forge's flame, burning bright, hit my foe with fiery light. Fire." _A small fireball erupted from his hands and spattered against the general, barely even melting its armor. Erk let out a small sigh. It had been too little, too late. He could see the general raising his lance for the last blow. He sighed, resigning himself to his fate. _Sorry Priscilla…I guess I won't be able to take you back to Etruria to explore Castle Wrigley_. He closed his eyes…And didn't feel anything. Snapping his eyes back open and scrambling up, he yelled in horror as he tried to piece out what had happened.

Apparently, Priscilla had rushed up to the fallen Erk, and had used a quick Warp spell to teleport him a couple of feet away, completely safe from the general's lance. However, that didn't mean that she was safe. The general, seeing that his first target had disappeared, had set his sights on Priscilla instead. Just a little shift on the haft of the lance, and he had pierced her body with his lance. Erk screamed again. The general pushed the body off of his lance, laughing as he saw the corpse hit the ground with a dull thump. Erk couldn't stop screaming.

_No…This isn't what is supposed to happen! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!_ He clenched his hands into fists, and fire erupted from them. "Die, you bastard!" He flung fireball after fireball, not caring what happened to him, not caring what happened to his magic, not caring about anything except for the death of this general who had killed the woman he loved.

The rest of the army converged in that spot around an hour later. The general was nothing more than a solid lump of steel cooling on the ground. And as for the morph that had led this whole army, well, she was just a pile of dust guarding the entryway into a set of ruins. Of Priscilla and Erk, there was no sign. So they assumed that both of them had died fighting against the foes there.

But that really wasn't the case. After he had killed the Morph that had started all of this, Erk had carefully lifted Priscilla's body. And after murmuring a few spell words, he warped away, carrying his treasure to Dragon's Gate, seeking the help of the person had had been fighting against for a year or two of his life. Of course it wasn't intelligent to ask your hated enemy for help. It wasn't intelligent. It wasn't logical. It wasn't rational. Hell, even Eliwood wasn't stupid enough to look to Nergal for help. Of course, that last part was just banter and probably not a slight against Eliwood's intelligence…Or maybe it was. The point is, Erk wasn't behaving rationally, intelligently, or logically. He just wanted Priscilla back. So he carried her up into Dragon's Gate, seeking help from the Dark Druid. And he had gotten it.

Erk looked around his room in the Dragon's Gate and sighed. Well, it was true he had gotten Priscilla back, or at least something that looked like her. But it just wasn't the same. During the first couple of days after Priiscilla had been made, he had deluded himself into thinking that Priiscilla was just like the original. Heck, she looked like Priscilla, acted like her, wore the same clothes as her, talked like her,…everything! But, during those days, something inside Erk had begun to notice that Priiscilla wasn't Priscilla. He couldn't explain it, but the warmth, the joy, the happiness that Priscilla used to bring him could not be captured by a morph.

So Erk had begun to doubt his decision of helping Nergal. And Eliwood's army was getting closer every day. Because the thing he traded for this mockery of the real Priscilla was that he would fight against his friends when they came across the Dragon's Gate. And Erk had accepted. Anything to get Priscilla back. But now Erk was getting the feeling that Nergal was suspicious of him, and had told Priiscilla to spy on him. Erk couldn't do anything about that now. Priiscilla was still enough like the original to make him feel better at times. But he did manage to find a couple of weak spots in the architecture of Dragon's Gate, and with a little bit of luck, Erk believed that he could find a way to end this all. To protect his friends from having to fight whatever horrors Nergal had in store, to kill Nergal with his own hands, to be able to finally see the real Priscilla, and to end the eternal servitude for the morph Priiscilla. So, Erk planned, and waited for the day he would be able to accomplish all.

And then the time came. Erk could see Eliwood's Army marching up the mountain path towards Dragon's Gate. And soon it would be show time. He checked the building to make sure everything was set up properly, and when he was sure it was, he stood at the entrance, waiting. Nergal warped beside the mage.

"Are you ready to fulfill your part of the bargain?"

"Yes. Now leave me alone. I'm busy."

"Heh. Very well. Oh, and don't think I didn't notice you setting up mines and tomes around the building. I've ordered Priiscilla to remove them. Maybe better luck next time, right? Hehehe…Hahahah…HAHAHAHA!" Nergal strolled off, leaving a seething Erk behind.

_So he knew! Dammit! I was so close! Well…I'll just have to see._ Erk shook his head, getting the plummeting feeling of despair. He had hoped for so long, and Nergal had dashed his hopes. But, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Priiscilla winking and smiling at him. _What is that morph doing? Doesn't she know Nergal told me…Unless…_ Erk remembered a conversation he had with Canas long ago.

_Canas kneeled, examining the remains of a morph. Erk walked up beside him, and Canas asked a question. "Erk…Do you believe that morphs have souls? Every being has a soul, right?" _

_Erk stopped. "Why are you asking that? They're just created things, right?"_

_Canas stood, shaking his head. "True…But I don't understand it. The scriptures say that everything on this earth has a soul, correct?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Why then…Would morphs not have souls? Even though they are just created beings, aren't we all? We were created by our parents. Would that mean we do not have souls either?"_

"_Um…"_

"_Sorry for asking these questions. Um…I better get back to studying. Thank you for your time, Erk." Canas walked off, muttering to himself. Erk scratched his head, and then grinned as he spotted someone._

"_Hey Canas!"_

"_Yes?" The purple-haired shaman turned._

"_I don't know about morphs, but I do know that my soul is right over there." Erk pointed to the distant figure of Priscilla. He dashed off to meet her, maybe hoping to talk to her for a while._

"_Right…" Canas smiled. "Right…"_

_Could morphs truly have souls?_ Erk shook his head. _This isn't the time or the place for such things._ He looked up, and saw that almost the whole army had assembled. _Well, it's now or never…_ Erk stepped out into the open, and was greeted with a chorus of amazing shouts.

"It's Erk!"

"I thought he was dead!"

"Same here!"

"Well, we never really did find the bodies."

"Hey, does that mean Priscilla is alive too?"

"You're right! Hey Erk! Is Priscilla with you?"

Erk closed his eyes against the deluge of questions. He held up his hands, waiting for silence. "Please, friends, you must calm down."

"Calm down?" Hector stepped up. "What do you mean 'calm down'? We thought you were dead!"

"I realize that, and I am sorry for the deception, but you must leave Dragon's Gate now!"

"Why? We're here to kill Nergal!" Hector grew suspicious. "Hey, why are you here anyway? You probably defected to Nergal's side!"

Nergal warped in, a twisted smile on his face. "Yes, exactly. Erk here is my loyal apprentice. Right, _apprentice_?" The Dark Druid squeezed Erk's shoulder tightly.

"Y-Yes…Right."

A roar of outrage sounded throughout the ranks of the army. "Erk…I thought you were our friend." Eliwood shook his head sadly.

"But I am! You don't understand!"

"We understand all right, you traitor! Come on, let's get him!"

"No!" Erk backed up as he saw his former friends charging him. He looked wildly around. Nergal was next to him. His friends were outside of the main building. And all those morphs that were lying in ambush…They were inside the building. _St. Elimine, I pray that you give me strength._ Erk pulled out a small tome from his cloak and tossed it in the air. "_I pray to the gods, whatever gods there are! Unleash the true fury of the storms and hellfire! Channel my energies and powers to destroy my foes! Volcanic Fury!" _The tome exploded, releasing the energies that Erk had built up in it. And throughout the main building of the Dragon's Gate, the tomes and mines that Erk had set up, still in their places, activated. Lodged in the weakest spots, they exploded and cast their spells with much greater force than normal. Nergal looked up angrily.

"You fool! If I die, I'm taking you with me!" Nergal punched Erk in the mouth. The young mage tasted blood.

"Haha…At least you will die!" Erk waved away his friends. "Go now! Before this whole building collapses!"

"…" Hector looked at the mage hard, then nodded. "Come on! You heard the man! Let's go!" They turned, some giving last glances at Erk before running to find some shelter. Erk smiled triumphantly.

"You've lost…And I've done it all!" Erk turned towards Nergal, who looked around frantically. He was too far from the exit to make a break for it, and the trembling of the building distracted him from spell casting.

"Fine!" Nergal punched Erk again, and squeezed his hands around Erk's throat. The purple mage began choking, and stumbled against one of the pillars. He heard the ceiling begin to fall, and managed one last smirk at Nergal before everything faded black.

Erk coughed, blood spurting from his split lip. He looked up. _I don't feel dead…This sure isn't what I was told the afterworld would look like._ _Why…There's the Dragon's Gate._ Erk lifted himself from the ground, coughing slightly as he felt the bruises on his throat. He tried talking, and found out that he was fine, except for a slight pain. "Hey! I'm back at Dragon's Gate! I'm not dead! But…This doesn't make sense!"

He turned and spotted a hovering image of someone he knew very well. "Priscilla?" The image shook its head. "No…Wait…Priiscilla! B-But…Wait, how did my spell work anyway…I thought that Nergal told you to remove them…" His head snapped up, his brain finally piecing together what had happened. "You disobeyed your creator!" The image nodded. "But why?"

"Because…Even though I wasn't really your girlfriend, you still treated me like I was. And I appreciated that. Maybe…That could be the answer to your friend's question. Maybe…I'll see you later?" The image waved once before disappearing.

"Yes…You can count on it, Priiscilla." Erk nodded gratefully. "Thank you. And maybe I do have that answer. I better tell Canas when I can find the army camp. I wonder just how long I was out…" He walked down the hill, finally able to let his despair and longing go. Because he knew that in the future, he'd be able to see both of his rescuers again. But, until then, he'd just have to see what life had in store.

* * *

Chris: Yay. Another weird story. And Pureauthor's prize. Hope he likes it. And I hope you like it as well. So review and stuff! Cause it might make me update faster.

Mia: Yeah. It might.

Farina: Whoop-de-freaking-doo.


	3. Blood Bath

Chris: Great….Another idea for this fic. Got the idea while I was thinking about some things, so I hope you like it. And it's about Karel!

**Samurai101: **Glad you liked it. Hope the other chapters are good too.

**Pureauthor: **Hmm…Yeah, I never thought about having Erk going to Athos. Didn't really fit in with my idea. And this did occur during the second trip to Valor Isle. I'm adding in the time it took for them to traverse the island. Because, if you account the searching for Erk and Priscilla (I'd assume the army would have done that), plus rest from the battle and traveling time, that could probably go in a couple of weeks. Erk only had to warp there. And…Well, yeah, didn't want to make it way too confusing with two characters named Priscilla.

Anyway…Glad you liked it, and cheers to making more chapters and stories!

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**Know Your Sins, and Repent: Blood Bath**

Karel smirked as he leaned on one of the walls in the training center. Today was the day when his father would show his students the wondrous blade that he kept locked up. It was the family's sword, the family's heirloom to their heritage in the plains. And Karel had lusted after it. He wanted it. He wanted to hold it in his hand, use it to slice his enemies into bloody ribbons. He wanted to caress the hilt, lick the blade clean of all the blood that would be spilled on it. Every thought, every bone in his body screamed for the possession of that sword. And today, he would get it.

He scanned the room where everyone had gathered. There was his sister Karla, looking up at her father with a wooden sword in her hands. She wasn't one for swordsmanship. Karla had said she despised the fighting, the wounds, the continuous bleeding. _She is weak. Only those that can unleash a torrent of blood and pain deserve to see this sight. But she is my sister, and sure enough, she is here. Today_, he thought, _today she will see what a true master of the sword can do._ He smirked again as he saw his sister nervously play with her hair. Karla also wasn't that fond of swords themselves, ever since she had accidentally sliced herself on the arm with one.

Karel looked at the others. There was his father, the master of this training school. He had been extremely rough on his students and his children. Karel hid a hand behind his back and silently flipped his father off. He despised his father. The man always acted like he knew the most, and for a while, he did. _But I learned more…And I will show him what I learned!_ Karel glanced at what his father was wearing. After all, part of winning the battle is to know and analyze each part of the opponent's body, and determine how you can use it to your own advantage. Today, his father had worn his hair long. _What a fool…Doesn't he know that long hair is a perfect way to gain a handhold and drag someone down as you fall? Well, he'll see. As I stab him through the heart. _Karel tapped his leg impatiently, waiting for his father to take out the blade. He refused to call the man by his name anymore. Karel had lost all respect that he might have had for him. _Why, he's just a cut and dry fighter. Fast, skilled, but not at all powerful. And his biggest mistake was teaching me what he learned._

Next Karel fixated his sights on his mother, Kinai. He respected her slightly more than his father. _At least she knows the true nature of battle. She's stronger than my father. Even though she sacrifices a little of her speed to land heavier blows, Kinai is skilled at playing the environment and turning them to her advantage. Of course, I picked that up too. _Karel noticed that she had tied her hair into a bun, thus denying anyone who might think of attacking a small advantage. Her hands were clasped firmly around a scimitar. She preferred it over the typical katana that swordmaster's used because of one thing. It was thicker at the blade, which made it harder to break, and while the reach was slightly shorter, her scimitar had been tempered so that it could break through armor as easily as cloth. Kinai flashed Karel a cool smile, and the young man tensed. _Does she know I plan to kill her as well? Whatever. That knowledge won't help her._

_Next up…Karan. Tch. He doesn't even deserve to have a name like ours. He's a fool, an idiot who believes that the way to succeed is to backstab anyone in your way._ Karel glared at his brother's back. Right now, his brother was lavishing compliments upon their father. _He can't even fight. He uses short daggers instead of a true samurai's or plainsman's weapon. The only reason why my father let him come was because he is part of the family. I won't hesitate to cut his throat and leave his body to rot. _Disgusted by the sight in front of him, he turned to the last member of the six-person party that had been invited to see the family sword.

This time, the person wasn't a member of the family. She wasn't a cousin, a long-lost sister, or a parent of any of them. She was a girl from one of the clans that inhabited the plains. But she had remarkable skill, and seemed to know how to succeed in life. Karel couldn't help but stare at her more. He didn't love her, or anything like that, but he did admire her skill. He had seen her, Talia, knock his father to the ground. Karel analyzed the battles he had seen her participate in. _Hmm…She keeps her hair long, but she's smart enough to not let anyone get close enough to give it a good yank. Extremely fast, smart, and strong as well. A fight with her would be a most magnificent treasure. I can't wait to see how she uses her weapons. _Just like how everyone had a different style of fighting and a different weapon, Talia had her own. She preferred to fight two-handed, holding a long bastard sword in her grip. The blade was around five inches longer than a normal one, giving her a better reach over most opponents. Her sword was straight and single-bladed, and the hilt didn't have any annoying ornaments that might get in the way of battle. Karel's opinion of her grew a notch. _I will love fighting with her. Her moves, her technique…I must see if I will be the one to defeat it._

"Listen up!" Karel's father slammed a fist on the wooden table where he had laid the sword case. "You four have been called hear for a very important ceremony! Our family's sword shall finally be passed on! Only one of you will deserve such an honor!"

Karel's eyes brightened. _This is it…This is truly it! I can't wait!_ He leaned forward, trying to see if he could make out the shape of the sword through the wooden case.

"And now, may I present our family's sword, one that we have kept secret and have passed down from generation to generation!" Karel's father lifted the case lid slowly, building up the tension.

_Open the damn case, you idiot! Open it, and let me see it so that I may claim it as my own! OPEN IT NOW! _Karel couldn't stand it. There he was, in one of the most important events in his entire lifetime, and his father was acting like a street performer that you see in Bulgar! Karel wanted to pull out his katana and stab him right there. But he couldn't, not at the moment. But soon…Soon he would, if he wasn't chosen.

His father finally pulled out the lid, and Karel couldn't help but gasp as he saw the blade. He dimly heard other gasps from the others, but he didn't care. He just had to have that sword. It was a perfectly made katana, lying there, with no spots of grime or dust. There was an aura hanging around it, and Karel knew that the sword had magic endowed in it as well. It was double-edged, made with what seemed to be the best steel that you could ever find in the world. The edges still seemed as sharp as ever, and looked as though it could cut through stone. Karel's hands trembled. It was the perfect length for him. It was just…perfect.

"I give you our blade, Inazagi, meaning 'He who invites'. It depends on the wielder if it brings death or peace, but this sword will comply with those wishes, and do its best to fulfill them. My father told me that an ancestor of ours used this sword to fight against the ancient dragons. I do not know if that is true, but it is a marvelous weapon."

_MARVELOUS! IT...IT…It's more than that! It's spectacular! It's amazing! It's…a godsend! _Karel could only stare. How he wanted that sword! He would kill to get it!

"And…My decision is that it will go to Karan!"

Karel froze, stunned. Time seemed to move slowly through his eyes. _To Karan! THAT LITTLE BASTARD! WHAT HAS HE DONE TO DESERVE SUCH AN ITEM OF POWER! WHAT HAS HE DONE THAT I HAVEN'T? _Karel stood up, not caring at the looks that were directed to him. There was his father, with his irritatingly superior look. His mother, warning him to sit back down. There was his sister, staring at him, frightened. There was Talia, looking slightly worried and afraid. And there was Karan, smirking at him, looking at him as though he was better.

Karel pointed a trembling finger at Karan. "WHY DOES HE GET IT? WHAT HAS HE DONE!" His arm was shaking wildly, and his eyes were almost popping out of his head. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND! I AM STRONGER! I AM BETTER! Wha….WHAT HAS HE DONE!"

"Sit down, Karel! True, you are good at the discipline of the sword, but you do not realize how to function in a world where fighting may not be the only way!" Karel's father stood up and pointed his sheathed sword at Karel's face. "You got it? You may be good, but there's always someone better! And your brother is that person!"

"That's right, Karel. I'm ever so sorry, but I believe this is mine." Karan walked up to the table where the blade say, smirking at Karel. "I guess I just know more than you."

Karel exploded. Those words, "There is always someone better." echoed in his head. He saw Karan reaching for the sword, defiling it with his touch. Karel trembled with rage. He wanted to kill Karan! Kill his father! Kill them all for getting in his way! He screamed savagely and pulled out his katana from its sheath. "BETTER! BETTER! THERE IS NO ONE BETTER THAN ME! AND I WILL DIE BEFORE I LET ANYONE GET THAT SWORD!" Karel stopped screaming and it looked like he calmed down. But he hadn't. He let out a predatory grin. "Or…At least you people will die first."

Karel's father leaped up, unsheathing his own katana. "Everyone, get back! This is a fight between me and Karel! I can handle him!" As he wished, everyone stepped back, leaving the fight between the father and his enraged son.

"Handle me? I highly doubt it." Karel whispered, grinning madly. His katana hung loosely in his grip. Karel had added his own embellishments to his weapon. The edge was sharper than most others, and he added wicked barbs along the blade to inflict more pain on his opponents.

"We shall see…" Karel's father stepped back, holding his katana vertically in front of him. Karel blinked.

_Ah…Using your techniques so soon in the battle? Shame, shame. _Karel grinned, and waiting, holding his katana in a waiting position. His father suddenly disappeared in a gust of wind, and Karel's bravado dropped slightly. _Hmm…I remember this. I just have to focus…Serpent Strike. A series of five strikes, all in a different part of the body. Arms, legs, and the head. The downside is that all of the strikes occur from the same direction…So…Left Leg! _Karel turned, holding his perpendicularly with his left leg, and deflecting the first shot. _Head! _He brought his katana to deflect the head shot. _Right Arm! Right Leg! Left Arm! _Karel deflected all those attacks. His father appeared in front of him.

"You're good…"

"No…I'm not good…I'm fantastic… If you haven't noticed…Nah, it would ruin the surprise." Karel grinned and flung a small chair at his father, kicking it with his leg. The father's eyes widened, before rolling out of the way. Karel smirked. He knew his father would act like it. Always so predictable. It made the fight so boring.

"DIE, YOU FOOL! You can see your ancestor in heaven!" _Transcending Time!_ _This is easy…Just focus…_ Karel moved rapidly and soon illusions of himself were jumping around his father. One leaped over his father's head, and the teacher tried to slash at it, but his katana just slashed through air.

"Too slow, father! Try again!" The images let out a mocking laugh, still moving around their target.

"You're just toying with me…" Karel's father watched the figures. He moved as fast as possible, releasing images of himself so that they could target all of Karel's. But each of his images missed, hitting shadowy air.

"You always thought you were the best."

The father turned, only to see his father behind him with a killing stroke ready. He tried to bring his sword to block, but he was too late as Karel's katana ripped through his shoulder and through his body. Karel grinned as the blood spurted out from the body and laughed. "HAHAHAHA! You were pathetic!" He whirled to face the others, blood covering his face and body. "So who's next?"

Kinai stepped up. "I don't know who you are, but you will pay for killing my husband!" She brought her scimitar down one-handed in a curving slice, hoping to catch Karel off-guard. As Karel jumped to the right, Kinai smiled and used her other hand to punch Karel in the stomach, launching him towards one of the walls. She followed up her advantage, their blades clanging against each other, creating notes that seemed like a song.

Karel soon found himself backed against a corner. _Shit! She will not stop me! NO ONE WILL STOP ME! Fire's Breath! _Karel channeled some of his energy in his katana, and a small blaze erupted along the edge. He swung the blade at his mother, highly doubting that it would actually be able to pierce her defense. He was right, of course. She blocked the strike as though it were nothing. Karel smiled. He didn't care about the blow itself. Karel blew out a small puff of wind, and the fires that had erupted along his blade flew off, blowing into Kinai. She screamed, and jumped backwards, patting out the flames.

"It's my turn!" Karel jumped forward, and launched into the attack. He managed to sneak past her defenses and score a couple of shallow hits along her arms and stomach. But by that time, Kinai had finally finished patting out the flames, and struck back. She feinted falling, and while Karel was off-balance, sweep kicked him, knocking him on his back. She was about to complete the kill when Karel dodged, stabbing Kinai in the leg. Kinai collapsed, biting her lip so she wouldn't scream and lose her concentration.

"Half of the battle is learning how to fight with the pain!" Karel smiled, wiping some of his own blood off of his lips. "Join your husband!" He kicked another chair at her, and while she blocked that attack, he lunged forward and stabbed her in the chest, piercing her heart. Kinai managed to give out a blood-filled cough before falling. Karel kicked the body over and pulled his katana out of the corpse when he felt something hit his shoulder. He turned and noticed Karan smirking, tossing small daggers in his hands.

_THAT COWARDLY BASTARD! No one does that to me and lives!_ Karel pulled out the dagger and flung it at the wall. _Lightning Strikes! _He spun around Karan, his speed giving him the illusion of being in many places at once. He ignored the pain of his shoulder, ignored the blood leaking out. Karan looked around wildly. He had no idea where Karel might be, since he was moving so fast. So Karan did the only thing he knew how to do. He flung a small bag, filled with a mixture of plants and liquids that would produce smoke. When the smoke cleared, Karel found that he was all alone in this fight.

"Finally…The last two people…After I'm done with you, I'll be going after that bastard." Karel glanced at the sword case, still lying on the table. _Just as I thought…He took the sword. I will track him down, and kill him._

"I…I really don't want to fight…" Talia's sword hung limply from her hands, and she was shaking. Karel smirked.

"You know that's not an option, dear Talia." He licked the blood on his blade. "Besides, I look forward to our battle. It will be one to cherish." He lifted his sword, pointing it at the girl. "This will be a direct fight. No techniques, just straight out sword-fighting."

"Um…Fine…" Talia's grip tightened around her sword. She let out a small shout before lunging at Karel. Karel smiled and brought up his blade to counter the attack. He pushed her backwards, and brought his leg around to make her trip, a direct copy of the move his mother used against him earlier. Talia fell, but lashed out at Karel with her feet, knocking him backwards slightly. She took the time she had gotten to stand up, and repeatedly slashed at Karel, her fear giving her a little extra strength and speed.

Karel blocked her shots as they fought, sparks flying from when their swords connected. Soon, they were nearly face-to-face, looking at each other with their swords in front of them. Karel had suffered a clout to the mouth and a few light scratches along his legs, not counting the wound in his shoulder. Talia was bleeding from her back as well as one of her legs.

"You're very good." Karel smiled. He loved a skilled opponent, and Talia was putting up a good challenge.

"T-Thanks…" Talia was breathing heavily, her attacks getting weaker now that her adrenaline had worn off.

"But I'm afraid that all things must come to an end." Karel and Talia pushed back off of each other, landing a couple of feet away. Karel rushed at her, catching her off guard and knocking her against the wall with his strike. Her sword flew from her grip and landed nearby, clattering on the wooden floor. She coughed, blood falling out and staining her lips. Karel walked up, staring emotionlessly at her. Talia coughed.

"Quickly…please…" She pointed to her heart, and coughed again.

"Very well. I will mourn the loss of a great opponent." He brought down his sword for one last strike. His blade entered her body once, and then it was pulled out. Karel looked at his handiwork. The whole building was covered in blood. There was blood on the ceiling, blood on the walls, blood on the floor…Everywhere. He was about to leave to go find Karan when he felt something hard hitting his back. When he turned, he saw Karla, trying to hit him with her wooden sword. Karel grasped the sword, and flung it out of her grip.

"DAMMIT KAREL! WHY'D YOU DO THAT? Our parents…." Karla broke down, and started crying. Karel was about to end her life too, but he decided to sheathe his sword.

"You are not worthy of a fight…I will leave you, so that you may bury the dead." Karel walked out, but Karla grabbed the bottom of his robe.

"How am I not worthy? What must I do to see you again?"

"Grow stronger…A fight with you…is not a fight at all. You will not give me the joy I look for in a fight." Karel snatched his robe away and walked out. Karla rubbed her eyes.

"If I must train with swords…then I will, just so I hear your voice again." She stood up, and with a new resolve, she began fashioning graves for the people who died today. Her parents, and a young girl. And one more. A girl who believed that she didn't need to know how to fight in order to talk with her brother. That girl died as well. And another person, who would soon become known as the Sword Princess, was born.

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Karel smiled. He had finally tracked down that coward. He had been hiding with Bern, traveling under an assumed name and working for a group called the Black Fang. Oh, it wasn't just him. There were a lot of more opponents. But they were wimps, and their blood decorated his clothes and sword. He felt good as he laid the killing blow from Karan. He was pleased to see that Karan had kept the sword in its original sheath. Karel reverently unbuckled the sheath from Karan's belt, and tied it to his own. The sword was his…It was finally his. All those months of tracking, trying to find anyone who knew even a rumor about Karan. It was finally done. But it wasn't over yet. He still needed to fight. He still needed to get stronger. Blood would once again cover his sword and clothes.

He heard sounds of fighting being carried by the wind. He ran towards the sound, and found a bunch of people fighting the Black Fang. Karel ran his fingers along the dull edge of his katana, wiping the blood off. "Ah…It is a favorable wind that brings news of battle. We shall feast on our enemies together, my friend." The last part he said to his new sword, patting its sheath.

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Chris: Well…Uh…Eh, it was fun to write. Hope if you like it. Even though it's not comedy or anything. Oh, and just so you know, Inazagi is a real Japanese god. Got it from this freakishly huge mythology book I have. My mythology book rocks. 


	4. Failure

Chris: Here I am with another one-shot. Why did I write this and not update my other stories? Because I felt like it and I need to write down my idea before I forget it. Lucky for me, it's a one-shot. To my favorite collection, Know Your Sins, and Repent. Enjoy! Don't own FE.

**Fire Fanatic: **Glad you like all of the stuff. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**Nightmare: **Thank you. And this chapter is about Priscilla. Whoo.

**Miharu-san: **I was planning to add other things…But I was tired, it was late, and I didn't feel like it.

**Min the Noodle: **Yeah, Berserk is annoying. Thank you for the compliments.

**youkojh: **Well…Guy is a good unit. Of course, that sucks when he kills everyone on your side…

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**Failure**

'_Another day of fighting…Another wound to be healed…Another reason…to fight even more.' _Priscilla sighed inwardly as she touched a staff to Eliwood's arm. The globe at the tip of the staff glowed and a blue light filtered into Eliwood's wound, closing it and killing off any chances of infection.

"Thanks Priscilla! Those swords really hurt!" Eliwood nodded appreciatively at Priscilla and walked off, waving. Priscilla watched the red-haired lord walk away and sighed.

"Who else is there?" She looked outside of the healer's text, and saw that there was only one patient left. "Oh, come on in, Guy."

"T-Thanks Priscilla." The ponytailed swordsman walked inside and sat down on a bed inside.

"So…What's wrong?" Priscilla clasped her healing staff and looked down at Guy. Guy flushed and muttered something Priscilla couldn't hear. "What is it?"

"Umm…It's on my chest. Some enemy cavalier slashed at me and I couldn't dodge in time." Guy clenched his fist angrily. "Sorry to have to trouble you like this."

"It's okay. This is my job." Priscilla smiled warily. "You're going to need to take off your shirt if I'm going to heal you."

"O-Okay." Guy unfastened his shirt buttons and placed the shirt on the side of the bed. The swordsman looked at the ground, blushing. Priscilla smiled at his bashfulness and placed her staff against the wound. Once again, the staff glowed and the wound magically sealed itself. Guy smiled thankfully.

"Thanks a lot, Priscilla! It really hurt." The swordsman stood and grabbed his shirt, hurriedly buttoning it. "I'd better go. Matthew is looking for me and I think he wants me to do something humiliating." Guy dashed outside, leaving behind a chuckling Priscilla.

"I'm tired…" Priscilla slumped on the bed and closed her eyes. In a matter of minutes, she was lying on the bed, sleeping.

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"Priscilla! Get up! We're needed!" Serra's shrill voice pierced her head and Priscilla sat up, rubbing her head sleepily. The alarm in Serra's voice woke her up and she grabbed her healing staff. Serra nodded and ran off into the fog, disappearing.

"Urgh…" Priscilla groaned and stumbled outside, still rubbing sleepsand out of her eyes. All around her, she could see fog and hear sounds of fighting rage around her. "Where's my horse?" She ran to the stake where she usually kept her horse saddled, but found out that her horse was gone. "Who could've stolen my horse?"

"Priscilla! Watch out!" Raven, her brother ran up and used his sword to deflect a lance that was headed for Priscilla's throat.

"Lord Brother!" Priscilla clasped her staff with both hands, frightened. She had never been this close to fighting before, and the sounds were scaring her. "W-What happened?"

"It's a sn-!" Raven fell as the lance pierced his chest and brought him to the ground. Priscilla shrieked in horror and dashed off, crying. All around her, she could hear sounds of her friends dying at the hands of some unknown enemy. An arrow whistled by her ear and she fell to the ground, tears still falling down her cheeks.

"L-Lord Brother…" Priscilla sobbed and pushed herself off. "I-It's all my f-fault! I-If I wasn't t-there-!" She shook her head and froze as she saw someone walk towards her. Priscilla blinked. "W-Who is there?" The healer brought out her staff. _'I might not be able to fight…B-But this staff should hurt them if I hit them over the head!'_

"Priscilla…"

"L-Lord Brother!" Priscilla stared at the figure, as it came closer, revealing that it was Priscilla's brother. "I-I thought…"

"Yeah. You thought!" Raven sneered at her. "If it wasn't for you, I would have killed that soldier! You distracted me! And when I was hit, you didn't bother trying to heal me! You ran away!"

"I-I wanted to!" Priscilla shook her head, her staff falling out of her nerveless hands.

"Wanted to, huh? Wanted to? Then why didn't you? You're a healer! You're supposed to help people, not leave them to die! You are a traitor to your friends and family! I'm ashamed to call you my sister!" The swordsman stalked even closer to Priscilla, glaring at her.

"I! I! …I know it's my fault! B-But…I tried!"

"TRYING ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" Raven bellowed in anger and faded away. Priscilla blinked and ran a hand over her tear-stained face.

"I-It wasn't him…" Priscilla panted heavily, struck by guilt and horror. She picked up her staff with shaking hands. "I…" She shook her head furiously and continued running around the battlefield, looking for someone that needed help. Ahead, she saw a fireball crash on the ground. Priscilla ran to the location and saw Erk fighting a wyvern lord.

"Take this!" Another fireball flew from his hands and burst against the wyvern's skin, igniting it. The wyvern screamed its death yell and plunged into the ground, flinging its rider into a tree.

"E-Erk! Are you okay?" Priscilla ran up to the mage's side and held him up.

Erk smiled at her. "Yeah…I'm fine." Suddenly, he froze and coughed up blood. The red liquid flowed over his hands and down his face and the mage collapsed to his feet. "Ergh…W…What is this?"

"L-Let me help!" Priscilla placed her staff against Erk's mouth, but the mage pushed her staff away. "What are you doing, Erk?"

"Go help the others…I'm done here. I used up all of my power…And now I must pay the price. I just need to know…Do you consider me a friend?" He looked wearily at Priscilla, blood dribbling down his lips.

"O-Of course, Erk! But let me help!" Priscilla brought the staff back to Erk's lips, but once again, the mage pushed it out of the way.

"If you were my friend, you would leave me alone to die! Go help someone else!" He pushed her away, using his other hand to cover his mouth.

"B-But-!"

"No buts! Or else I won't consider you my friend!" Erk roared at her and more blood spurted out. "Go away! I don't need you!" He collapsed on the ground, his blood staining the grass red.

"…F-Fine…" Priscilla blinked back her tears and ran away. Now, the sounds of fighting were less distinct, and the whole battlefield carried an air of death and destruction. Priscilla shivered as she continued walking. A sword plunged into the ground by her feet and Priscilla leaped backwards.

"Pick it up!" Karel's voice echoed through the air. He walked up, dragging along Karla's dead body. "I'm almost done killing everyone else here! Now it's just you!"

Priscilla brought her hands up to her mouth. "W-Why?"

"Why, you must ask? To get the thrill of killing! I do not understand you. Why do you heal when you can fight! Think about it! Venting all your feelings into a sword, cutting down friend or foe!" Karel smirked and threw Karla's body away. "My pitiful sister thought she could live in peace, but peace is just a passing fancy! The word peace is such an ugly word! It never happens! This world will never have peace, and I shall help bring on the next war!" He pointed his own sword at Priscilla. "Pick up that sword and fight!"

"I…I don't want to! I-I'm a healer!" Priscilla shook her head.

"Fine! Then die with that staff in your hands!" Karel lunged at her, swinging his sword at her neck. Priscilla screamed and fell to the ground, hearing the sword fly over her head. Strangely, her hand gripped the sword on the ground, even though she was certain that she was holding a staff.

"U-Uh…" Priscilla wobbled up, holding the sword in front of her shakily. She had never even held a sword before, and the weapon felt strange in her hands. Karel lunged at her again and she moved her sword to block it. Karel smirked, and pushed her back heavily, causing her to land on the bloodstained grass.

"DIE!" The swordmaster swung his sword in an overhead slash that was aimed at Priscilla's skull. Priscilla saw a vision of the sword piercing her head and she lunged forward with her sword, not caring whatever happened. When she didn't feel the sword strike her head, she looked up. Karel was smiling at her, blood dripping from his lips.

"G-Good work…Now you can take over my job." Karel smirked at her. "Welcome…Sword Witch."

"NO! I didn't want to kill!" Priscilla released the sword and staggered back, looking horrendously at Karel's dead body. "I didn't want to! I DIDN'T WANT TO! I DIDN'T WANT TO KILL YOU!" Her staff reappeared in her hand and she ran away from Karel's body.

"Priscilla! Wait!"

Priscilla shrieked, horrified, and she swung her staff at the person's head. The boy ducked and cursed.

"Priscilla! It's me, Guy! What's wrong?"

Priscilla blinked and her gaze focused on the swordsman's figure. She sobbed happily and collapsed on him.

"Whoa! Priscilla! What's happened to you?" Guy looked at Priscilla and noticed that blood covered her clothes. Priscilla continued sobbing.

"I-It's my fault…"

"What's your fault?" Guy looked down at her, compassion in his eyes. "Don't worry…It's not your fault…For whatever."

Priscilla looked up happily, tears still forming. "Guy! Behind you!" She pointed to a shadowed person behind Guy. The swordsman turned and brought his sword around just in time to block an axe. However, the person swung a fist at Guy's head and knocked him to the ground. Then, he plunged his sword into Guy's chest and pulled the sword back out.

"Argh!" Guy screamed in agony as he collapsed to the ground. Priscilla was at his side, holding her healing staff.

"I! I'll heal you! Don't worry, Guy! I can heal you!" She brought her staff to Guy's wound. However, as she chanted the words, she noticed something different. The globe glowed black, and shattered, destroying any remnant of magic left in it. "No! This has never happened before!"

Priscilla rubbed her eyes frantically and searched through her blouse for another staff. She found a staff that had a navy-blue globe, and she used that. However, like the earlier one, the globe shattered. Every staff that she had acted in the same manner, and soon she was left holding shards of glass. "What is this? I…I can't heal him!"

Priscilla shook Guy's body, hoping to find any signs of life, but it was all in vain. Priscilla screamed in despair and clutched Guy's body, crying. The figure that had slain Guy laughed and walked up to Priscilla.

"Looks like you _are_ a failure!" The figure laughed again and swatted her away, separating her from Guy's body.

"I-I am not!"

"Yes, you are!" The man glared at Priscilla and then looked at Guy's body. "You failed him! You failed everyone!"

"I-…I…" Priscilla looked to the ground. "I didn't want to…."

"Too bad!" The man stomped down, crushing Guy's body beneath his boot. "And now he's gone, thanks to you."

Priscilla whimpered, and walked backwards, trying not to look at Guy's mutilated body. She bumped into someone and then she spun around. "P-Please…I…I…I…I didn't mean to fail!"

"Fail, huh? I didn't want to, huh?" The person she bumped into was Raven. The swordsman punched Priscilla in the stomach. "You killed us all! Your failure! Your weakness! You are pathetic! YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE DEAD!"

"I-It's not m-me…" Priscilla whimpered again, bringing her hands to her mouth, trying to stop her lip from trembling. Erk appeared behind her, blood staining his lips.

"Hmph. Some friend you are! You abandoned your own brother! I can't believe I ever relied on you! If you acted like a real friend, we probably would still be alive!" Erk poked her angrily. "You always say that you want to heal others, huh? Why don't you heal yourself? HEAL YOURSELF OF YOUR OWN WEAKNESSES! NOT OURS!"

Priscilla slumped to the floor, lying on her knees and covering her ears with trembling hands. "I…I am not weak…"

"Not weak, huh? Of course you are not. You killed someone. And you liked the feeling, didn't you?" Karel walked up, grinning madly. "You want to kill others, right? Kill them like I did? Take pride in your title, Sword Witch. I believe you will become a legendary fighter. You will destroy your friends. You will kill your enemies. You will fight your employers…And finally, you will kill yourself. And you will like every minute of it! Priscilla! You are a traitor to the essence of healing! YOU ARE A KILLER, PRISCILLA! ACCEPT IT!"

"N-No! I-I…I d-didn't want to k-kill you!" Priscilla bent over, still trembling from the accusations.

"Priscilla…Why didn't you heal me? I was waiting for you."

'_No…Please no…Not Guy…Not Guy! Anyone but him…'_ Priscilla nervously looked up and screamed as she saw that it was Guy.

"You said you'd heal me, Priscilla. I was waiting. I believed in you, Priscilla. And you failed me…I guess you really were a failure. And you failed me…I will never believe in you again, Priscilla." Guy looked sadly at the ground. "I…Just can't believe you, Priscilla. YOU FAILED ME!"

"No…No…No…No…No…" Priscilla shook her head.

"You were the reason I am dead!"

"You are not a real friend!"

"You are a killer!"

"…You failed me…You are a failure."

"NO!" Priscilla stood up, still covering her ears.

"Priscilla?"

"NO!"

"Priscilla!"

"I'M NOT A FAILURE! PLEASE, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"PRISCILLA!"

"PLEASE…PLEASE!" Priscilla screamed. Her eyes opened and she saw the person from earlier stalking towards her. "Please…Just leave me alone…I know I failed…"

"You finally admit it." The person dashed up to Priscilla and brought his hand across Priscilla's throat and squeezed. Priscilla struggled against his grip but the person was too strong. "Just give up, Priscilla. Fail at life, as you did at everything else."

"N-No…I…I am not a failure…It….was just a….mistake…" Priscilla gasped as she tried to push the hands away.

"Mistake? You claim the deaths of four people are just mistakes? FAILURE!" He squeezed tighter and Priscilla lost feeling to her fingers.

"PRISCILLA! ANSWER ME!"

"…I…I…am….sorry…everyone…I truly….am a…failure…" Priscilla felt her head getting light and she felt like sleeping.

"PRISCILLA! GET UP!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Priscilla sat up from her bed, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat. She frantically looked around, feeling her throat. "Huff…Huff…What happened?"

"It looked like you were having a nightmare." Guy looked at Priscilla. "You were rolling in the bed and moaning so I decided to wake you up."

"Guy! You're alive!" Priscilla sobbed happily and hugged Guy around the waist.

"W-Well…Of course I am. You healed me, remember?" Guy flushed red and looked down at Priscilla.

"Guy…Am I….Am I a failure?" Priscilla looked up at Guy, her eyes shining with tears.

"Of course not! I don't know a better healer around." Guy grinned at her.

"T-Thank you, Guy. T-Thank you for…everything." Priscilla continued hugging him, tears still falling down her cheeks.

* * *

Chris: Yeah. It's weird. Oh, and chances are that there is going to be a chapter per character. So I've got a lot of one-shots for this story. Anyway, hope you like it….And review please! 


	5. Never Cry Again

Chris: Great….Another idea for this fic. Got the idea while I was thinking about some things, so I hope you like it.

**CharChar Wu: **-says what he said on MT…Or at school…Or on AIM- So yeah. Thanks.

**Min the Noodle: **Glad you like it so much. I'll keep trying to put up good chapters. And your new FE story is really good! I liked it!

**Anzu Rose: **Thanks for the applause. And thanks for reading it.

**Inferno-Hero: **Yeah, this was on MT. I think. Anyway…Thanks. And yeah, in FE 8 Berserk is really rare.

* * *

**Know Your Sins, and Repent: Never Cry Again**

He vowed that he would never cry again. He had cried when his father had disappeared. He had cried his father's best friend, Marquess Santaruz, had died. He had cried when Marcus, his loyal friend had died, protecting him from enemy forces. He had cried when his father died. He had cried over the injustice in this world. But then Ninian had died. That had pushed it too far. He was tired of crying, tiring of letting those tears fall from his eyes. Why cry, he asked himself. Why cry? It doesn't help you. It doesn't bring them back. Crying doesn't do anything. So he stopped crying.

Eliwood wasn't always like this, of course. He had been optimistic, caring, and always ready to prove that he could fight. He believed that justice was on their side, and that nothing could stop them. He was certain that soon, they would be able to find his father, and bring him back to Castle Pherae, back to his home. But he was wrong. His father was never coming back. His mother would be so heartbroken to hear the news. Maybe she would die also. Eliwood didn't know for certain, but that possibility loomed in his mind.

But back to the present. The army was gathered at Dragon's Gate, ready to assault the fortress. The legendary Archsage Athos had joined them on their fight, and the morale of their forces was increasing steadily. Of course, that was their morale. His morale was still down in the dumps. He still couldn't get over it. He had killed Ninian with his own hands, with his own sword. Eliwood sighed. Everyone had tried to cheer him up, but he just didn't feel like being cheery.

"Ninian…Can you ever forgive me for what I've done?" Eliwood sat on his cot, thinking about the times they spend together.

_Ninian spun, swinging her shawl in a wide arc. Her shawl seemed to have a life of its own, caressing the air with its silky touch. The tassels at the end of the shawl rang, decorated with tiny bells. She moved to the tune of Nils' flute, moving her feet directly with the beat of the song. At last, she finally finished, her shawl resting elegantly on her shoulders. The sky-haired dancer stood up, small beads of perspiration on her forehead. "How…How was that, Lord Eliwood?" She looked hopefully at the lord, who was sitting in front of her._

"_Please, don't call me Lord. Formality is nice in some occasions, but not between friends." Eliwood smiled at her._

"_We…We are friends?"_

"_Of course! Anyone who helps me out is a friend of mine! And if they can dance as well as you, why, there is no doubt that they would be my friends as well. That dance was simply amazing, Ninian." Eliwood clapped his hands, smiling broadly. The red-haired lord looked at the sky, lying in the grass. _

"_T-Thank you, Lo-…I mean, Eliwood." Ninian curtsied to the lord and looked at her brother. Nils pocketed his flute and waved farewell to the two of them._

"_Thank you for listening, Eliwood! I hope that we may perform for you once again." Nils bowed to Eliwood. "Ninian?"_

"_Um…There is something I wish to speak to Eliwood about." Ninian clasped her hands._

"_Ah…I see." Nils winked at Ninian and walked off, whistling the tune he had played on his flute. _

"_E-Eliwood?" Ninian sat down next to the lord, who pushed himself up._

"_What is it, Ninian?" Eliwood's blue eyes gazed back at her._

"_Why…did you rescue me…a long time ago?"_

"_You need to ask me why? Well, for one, I saw a beautiful girl who in danger and needed help. Two, because I knew that those guys who had kidnapped you were up to no good. And three…" Eliwood grinned roguishly. "That's just the type of guy I am."_

"_O-Oh!" Ninian flushed. "Um…Thank you for answering my question!" The dancer ran off, her cheeks a slight pink._

"_Heh heh…And four, once I saw you, I knew you were special…"_

Eliwood was snapped out of his reverie when Hector lifted the flap of his tent. "Hey Eliwood. Get ready. We're about to fight."

"Okay, Hector. I'll be there." Eliwood pushed himself up, emotionlessly picking up his sword.

Hector frowned. "Well…Just as long as you are there. I don't know if I'd be able to fight without my friend."

"Thanks Hector. I'll be there."

Hector shook his head and walked outside. Eliwood gathered his gear for the battle ahead. The lord sighed. _'Ninian…Is this our fate? To live as victim and killer? One who is dead and one who lives?'_ He stood up and walked outside. _'If that is our fate, then it is one that I will bear without tears.'_

Hours later, they were in Dragon's Gate. The first thing that greeted them was an enormous chamber with numerous rooms.

"Nergal, you blackheart! Come out!" Hector shouted, his loud voice reverberating across the chamber.

"Ah…Hector and his little playmates…" Nergal warped in, a devious smirk on his face. "And little Eliwood! With Durandal as well! I thought you weren't going to use that sword. You might kill one of your friends again."

Eliwood froze as the words reached his ears. He was plunged into another memory of Ninian.

"_Eliwood?" Ninian walked up to the lord, her customary somber look on her face. _

"_Yes, Ninian?" Eliwood looked up from a map of Elibe. He was busy deciding where their next destination should be. A couple of marks signified where they might go next._

"_Will you…Take a walk with me?" Ninian looked hopefully at the lord, who chuckled._

"_Of course." Eliwood rolled up the map and slid it into a map case. "I would love to take a walk with you."_

_Minutes later, they were on the grassy plains outside of Ostia, Ninian timidly holding the lord's hand. _

"_Have you ever noticed?" Eliwood gazed at the bright sky._

"_Noticed what?" Ninian looked at Eliwood, afraid that she had done something wrong._

"_That the sky looks so much like your hair…And you as well. You both seem to always be there for us. Drifting through life, with not set location or feeling, except that you're just there…" He turned and smiled. "And you both seem so free…Like you can fly…"_

"_Ah…Thank you, Eliwood." Ninian bowed her head to the lord, who laughed._

"_I mean it, Ninian. You've always been there for me. I don't know what I would do without you." _

"_Really?"_

"_Of course. I just wish you would be more cheerful sometimes. When I look at you, you always seem so sad."_

"_Yes…Well…That's because my homeland…Well, my people…Are not well liked. I…worry about how they are doing."_

"_Hey, after this war, you can show me where your homeland is! I'll make sure that your people are accepted again! Everyone deserves to be able to live freely." _

"_T-Thank you, Eliwood. I…I will try to help in every way I can."_

"_And I will love to have you help." Eliwood bent down and gave Ninian a light kiss on the cheek. "I better get back. Hector is probably wondering where I am." The lord ran off, waving at Ninian, who nodded._

"_Lord Eliwood…If only you knew…Would you…Would you still like me? Would I still…Deserve acceptance?"_

Eliwood snapped out of it. Nergal was still standing in front of them. The lord gasped his sword harder.

"Perhaps you'd like me to make a Morph of your brother, Hector? I'm sure your feeble human heart would enjoy it. How about you, Lyn? Would you like Morphs of your parents? Would you like to see them again? And Eliwood, maybe a Morph of Ninian could remove the longing in your heart." Nergal grinned wickedly. "How about it?"

"Nergal! Shut up! You will not trick us that way! Now stand still so we can kill you!" Hector swung his hand in front of his face. "Prepare for oblivion, you bastard!"

"Nuh uh uh…I'm not that easy to kill." Nergal snapped his fingers and disappeared. "If you want to kill me…You will find out the way. Defeat my soldiers…and maybe I will consider you worthy enough to have your blood stain my carpets."

One of the rooms opened, and the battle began. Eliwood charged in on his horse, swinging his sword at the head of his nearest enemy, which was a Sniper. The sword bit into the Sniper's neck and it dissolved into dust. Eliwood looked dispassionately at the ashes on the floor. They had no feelings, so it didn't matter how many of them he killed.

'_Ninian…Why must we fight? If I knew…I would still love you. Why…Why…Why must this come to pass?' _

Soon, all of the Morphs were killed, slaughtered by various army members. Eliwood, Nils, Athos, Lyn, and Hector were gathered outside of the last room. Hector looked at all of them, then pushed the heavy, stone doors open.

"I see that you made it." Nergal turned around and spread his arms wide. "Welcome…To my abode."

Hector stepped back, revulsion plain on his face. Lyn turned, horrified by the sights in the room. Athos sighed and closed his eyes. Nils fell to the ground, his eyes wide with terror. And Eliwood stared resolutely on, ignoring the dread sights of the room.

"What? You don't like my decorations?" Nergal grinned wickedly. Because strewn along the walls were bodies, numerous bodies. And all of them had something in common. Their bodies had been cut open, and their hearts were gone. Blood coated the walls and floor, and flies were hovering over the dead bodies.

"Nergal…How could you do this?" Athos sighed in his long beard. "You…Who were once my friend…I will put an end to whatever entity that has conquered your soul!" The archsage pulled out an elegantly bound book, signs of fire engraved on the cover. "_Flames of underneath, flames of passion, flames of everlasting, flames of heart! One shall burn, one shall consume, one shall destroy, one shall purify! One strike for the wicked, one strike for the corrupt, one strike for the unforgivable, one strike for the forsaken! Fire, Madness, Explosion, Divinity! Forblaze!"_ The staff he clutched in his other hand glowed a bright white.

Balls of fire sprung from the staff and hovered at the north of the room. Sounds of shrieking and laughter materialized from the left side of the room, accompanied with a horrid-looking light. Bright explosions and lava flowed from the south side of the room. And from the east, light shined from the sealing, creating a hovering ball of light and holy fire.

"Pah!" Nergal drew a circle with his hand, which caused a dark circle to hover around him. The various magic attacks collided against his shield, neutralizing most of the blast. The Dark Druid then proceeded to launch a ball of pure darkness at Athos, knocking the old man against one of the walls.

"Nergal, you bastard! You will pay for all of the pain and sorrow you have caused for everyone!" Lyn charged at Nergal, her Sol Katti clutched in her hands. She swung at the Druid with all of her might, and was about to connect when the image of Nergal was replaced with an image of her father. "F…Father?" Lyn stopped her attack and gazed at the image.

Nergal grinned. Lyn had fallen completely under the illusion, and now she was completely useless. The Sol Katti dropped out of the Blade Lord's hands and clanged against the floor. The Dark Druid decided to use this illusion to her advantage. "That's right, my dear daughter. I came back…Just for you."

"Father…Father!" Lyn ran up to Nergal and hugged him, thinking that it was her father.

"Lyn! What the hell are you doing?" Hector yelled at the Sacaen. "That's Nergal! Remember? We're supposed to kill him!"

"Kill him?" Lyn turned. "You want to kill my father?" Her eyes narrowed. "I will never allow you to do that!" She charged at Hector, who stepped backwards.

"Lyn! What the-!" Hector looked up and saw Nergal smirking at him. Hector quickly put two and two together. "You little bastard! Tricking her like this!"

"A true master of battle knows how to utilize all parts of the battlefield." Nergal. "Go Lyn…This man plans to kill me. Use this sword to end my attacker's life." Nergal caused a sword to appear in Lyn's hand.

"Of course, father!" Lyn swung the sword at Hector, who ducked.

"Dammit! I'm sorry, Lyn!" Hector brought his gauntleted fist down on Lyn's head, knocking her down on the floor, where she fell unconscious.

"Aww…She would have made a good daughter." Nergal said, faking sorrow on his face. He let out a loud, mocking laugh.

Hector roared angrily and ran at Nergal, his heavy armor clanking. He swung Armads with all his might, breaking through Nergal's magical shield and biting into the Druid's waist. "Hah!"

"Urgh!" Nergal looked down to see blood welling around the axe. He glared angrily at Hector. "Good attack! But you left yourself wide open!" Nergal placed an open palm against Hector's head. Black magic welled up in his hand and shot itself at Hector, throwing the lord against the wall. Hector collapsed on the floor, barely breathing.

"Now it's only tiny, little Eliwood. What are you going to do?"

"Me? Why…I'm going to kill you." Eliwood swung his Durandal in a small arc. "For the deaths of many, I will lay your soul to rest!" He charged forward on his horse, slicing Nergal's arm. "For my father!" He turned on his horse and attacked Nergal again, cutting him on the cheek. "For Marquess Santaruz!" Eliwood jumped off of his horse and threw a punch at Nergal, knocking the Druid back. "For my protector, Marcus!" He grasped Durandal with both of his hands, holding the blade behind his head.

"Grr!" Nergal winced, blood running down his numerous wounds. He conjured an image of Ninian to appear in his place. "Would you really kill me, Eliwood? I thought you loved me…"

"YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!" Eliwood screamed wrathfully and brought the sword down on Nergal's head, splitting his skull.

"Ninian…I…Thank you for all you've done. And for all you meant to me…" Eliwood sat heavily on the floor, closing his eyes in remembrance.

"_Eliwood? I…need to say something to you."_

"_Ninian?" Eliwood looked up from his plans. "What is it, Ninian?"_

"_Do…Do you like me?"_

"_Of course, Ninian! Why would you think otherwise?"_

"_Because…I need to know…Do you…love me?" Ninian clasped her hands again, looking worriedly at Eliwood. "I…I…I need you with me! I…love you, Eliwood!"_

_Eliwood blinked his eyes, and his face broke into a warm smile. "Do you need to ask, Ninian? I thought you knew…There is no one else for me…I always knew you were special…That special one for me…" The red-haired lord brought Ninian to him, kissing the dancer softly on the lips. Ninian quickly wrapped her arms around the lord's neck, and they enjoyed the blissful moment, one that belonged to them alone._

* * *

Chris: Well, here it is. I actually had a different ending in mind for this story when I first started it. But then, now, when I'm writing it, this just seems better for some reason.

But if you want the original version with the different ending, ask me. I'll e-mail it to you. The original ending is a happy ending. I don't know if you can classify this as happy.


	6. I Just Wanted Everything

Chris: Look! It's another one! And it's about Nergal! WHOOOOOOOO! Ness.

**Green Paladin: **Thanks for liking my fics! Glad you enjoy them!

**Min the Noodle: **Yep, lucky Hector. I hope you like the alternate ending as well!

**Nightmare3: **Thanks for the compliments!

**DotDotDot Man: **I know who you are! And I'm glad you liked the original version.

Disclaimer: Don't own Fire Emblem. Also, if you're offended by the f word, then don't read a part of it. Cause the f word is in it. So yeah. Also, you might think this is graphic too. I don't. And I'm not going to bother changing the rating to M. Cause this whole thing isn't a M fic.

* * *

**Know Your Sins, and Repent: I Just Wanted…Everything**

"Urgh!" Nergal staggered backwards, his heart pierced by Eliwood's sword. The Dark Druid could feel his life's blood filter out through the wound, staining his black robes crimson. Nergal looked up from his wound and glared at the people assembled before him. "You…"

"I thought he was dead!" Hector gaped at Nergal, who slowly stood up straight.

"My magic…has sufficient power to keep me alive." Nergal smirked at the lord. "Maybe if your brother was a magic user, he would still be here today. Too bad, huh?"

"Grrr…Bastard!" Hector readied his axe for a killing blow, but Eliwood held up a hand in front of Hector's body.

"Hold, friend. He is near death. He only hopes for you to make it quicker." Eliwood kept his steady gaze on Nergal.

"Ah…Cunning, calculating Eliwood. Smart as a whip. Too bad you weren't smart enough to save your father." Nergal's smirked became wider.

Eliwood's eye twitched and his face paled. Hector noticed this and was about to charge at Nergal when Eliwood held him back again. "Not now, Hector. His time is up. He just wants to goad us into doing something stupid."

Nergal struggled to shrug as he felt more of his life slip away. "He's right, you know. I'm just an old rogue. In fact, I know the old rogue that killed your family, Lyn. Perhaps you'd like me to tell you who hired the Taliver bandits?"

Lyn's eyes widened and her grip on her sword tightened. She glared ferociously at Nergal. "Spit it out, blackheart!"

"Nuh, uh, uh…You've got to do something for me first before I tell you." Nergal waggled a finger in front of Lyn, who shuddered with rage.

"Calm down, Lyn." Eliwood continued to stare at Nergal. "Don't give in. Don't give him the satisfaction."

"I'm trying not to! But I'm getting a really tempting feeling to bash his head in!" Lyn trembled again, glaring at Nergal with hatred in her eyes.

"Awwww…Did I upset you, little Sacaean? Look, look! I'm playing a song on the world's smallest violin, just for you." Nergal continued his teasing, hoping to see one of the three lords break. But none of them tried attacking him, and Nergal heaved a sigh.

"Eliwood truly has taught you well." Nergal shook his head, wincing at the amount of energy that little movement cost him. "Now I have failed in my task…If only…I didn't crave the power…"

"What?" Eliwood stepped forward.

"I just wanted…everything. For my friends, for my family…I assume you don't understand. I wouldn't understand either. But I have no regrets." Nergal shook his head, feeling more of his blood leak out. Nergal sighed. Soon that blood would be replaced by his magic, and he would quickly disappear.

"Nergal. What do you talk about?" Eliwood cocked an eye towards the Dark Druid, who sighed.

"Now, when I'm about to die…I see it all. And now people wish to hear my story…But you may as well forget it. History will remember me as a tyrant and as an evil man, and I have no wish to change that." Nergal grasped the hilt of the sword still embedded in his chest. "History will remember!" He pulled out the sword, releasing the flow of the rest of his blood. Nergal gasped in pain and staggered backwards, falling to the floor. _'And so will I…I will remember…My want.'_

_---------------_

"_Ninis! Ninis! Where are you?" Nergal, a young man of around twenty years, looked around the castle, yelling out the name. The man's shaggy black hair fell around his face and the wizard pushed it out of his eyes. "This isn't funny, Ninis!" The man's expression was worried, and his nondescript brown robes brushed against the stone floor._

"_Hee hee…"_

_An unrestrained giggle revealed the location of Ninis, who was a young woman with sky-teal hair. The girl dropped down behind Nergal, a broad smile on her face. "Hi Nergal!"_

"_Ninis!" Nergal whirled on the girl, his face angry. "Don't fool around like that! What if…you know! I don't want to lose you!"_

"_Don't worry about it, Nergal! You worry too much, you know!" Ninis's crimson eyes flashed merrily. The girl went behind Nergal and ruffled his hair playfully._

"_Tch…It's only that I care about you." Nergal flushed, half from anger and half from embarrassment. "Man, what my friends would say if they saw me now."_

"_They'd probably be cheering you on, okay? I know you like magic, Nergal." Ninis hugged the wizard from behind. "And I'm glad you really don't care about what I really am."_

"_Why should I? I mean, you're not that much different from us." Nergal reached behind him and patted the girl's long hair. _

"_Thanks, Nergal!" Ninis kissed Nergal from behind, giggly merrily. "Your world is so much different from mine! It's so…exciting here!"_

"_Yes, well, sometimes excitement is overrated. I'd better get to class." Nergal sighed and pushed Ninis off of his back. "I'll be back later, okay?"_

"_Okay, Nergal!" Ninis smiled and ran off, presumably to explore more of this 'exciting' world._

_Nergal sighed and rushed off to his magic class. Chances are he was going to be late, and it was all that dratted mamkute's fault._

_  
------------------_

"_I can't believe it! There is so much power in the realms of magic!" Nergal gasped as he searched through the thousands of books inside of his school's library. "Some day…I will own such knowledge! I will help the world with my magic!" _

"_Shh! Quiet!" The head librarian glared at Nergal, who flushed._

"_I'm sorry." Nergal pulled out an old, thin book. "Hm…Treatises on Alchemy and Magic…That sounds interesting." The wizard opened the book and flipped through it, searching for anything important that he could use. Nothing struck him as particularly mind-breaking until he came to the end of the book, to a section titled, 'Synopsis on Elder Magic'. Apparently, the author of the book was an elder magic user himself, and explained numerous benefits to pursuing elder magic. The author disdained how people termed elder magic, 'dark magic'._

"_As studies have shown, elder magic, derived from the druidic magics of the ancients, has been known to increase life span, deal devastating power, and, in some instances, even create life. People who claim elder magic comes from the hands of the devil are woefully uneducated to the ways of magic. The term, 'dark magic' comes from the fact that elder magic utilizes the past and the night, not the devil or demons. Elder magic was first discovered a long time ago, approximately three million years before the event called the Scouring. And who discovered it, you may ask? The current Etrurian bishop of that era, Lord Riath Emander, discovered the nature of elder magic, and imparted it upon the people. While the Elimine clergy would dearly love to see this whole thing covered up, the fact remains that one of their bishops discovered their so-called 'Dark Magic'. Interesting, no? _

_However, elder magic does have one downside. Because it calls upon the past and the night, some weak-willed people who desire power have followed this path of elder magic. Unfortunately for us, they succeeded in their quest and went promptly insane. Because when you utilize elder magic, you are throwing a part of yourself into the past and into the night. Many elder magic users have seen images of the past in their eyes as they slept or thought it was night when it truly was day. However, for one that is strong-willed, controlling these images is easier than reading this book."_

_Nergal continued reading the book, enthralled by this outlook on elder magic. The wizard decided to check the book out to gain more information. And maybe, if he was strong enough, he'd walk the path of elder magic himself._

_  
---------------------------_

"_Congratulations on finally graduating!" Ninis leaped towards Nergal, who was proudly holding his magic tome._

"_I can't believe it! This is so amazing…Look at this…My first tome…Everything that I learn…Every magic spell will go into this." Nergal grasped the tome tightly, tears falling out of his eyes._

"_Awww….Nergal is crying. Here, Ninis will cry with him." Ninis leaned on Nergal's back and began crying as well. Her sky-teal hair, which had grown darker and silkier over the years, fluttered in the breeze._

_Nergal laughed and wiped his face. "That's okay, Ninis. Come on, let's go home. I can't wait to inscribe my first spell in this book." Nergal's face lit up with expectations. "Ninis…Thanks for staying with me through all this."_

"_Don't worry about it! You accepted me, Nergal. That's all I can ask for." The girl kissed Nergal on the cheek, smiling happily. "Show me your magic when we get home, okay? Pleeeaase?" _

"_Of course, Ninis. Of course."_

_  
-------------------------_

"_Ninis? Are you…busy?" Nergal walked up to the mamkute, his black hair waving in the wind. Ninis stood up from her work, smoothing her dress, which seemed to mold itself to the girl's lithe form._

"_What is it, Nergal?" Ninis's crimson eyes seemed faded and she sighed. _

"_What's wrong…Ninis? Lately…You just haven't been yourself. I miss your old personality." Nergal gazed helplessly at Ninis, who cracked a smile._

"_Sorry Nergal. I don't know…It's just that…Lately, I've been seeing more and more things that make this world less endearing. And…Well, someone found out about me." Ninis looked at the floor, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm going to have to leave…I don't want anything bad to happen to you."_

"_Leave! How…Why? If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll use my magic to make sure you'll be okay. Please, Ninis. Don't leave." Nergal pleaded with Ninis, his eyes wide._

"_Nergal…" Ninis shook her head rapidly. "No, I can't stay. What I think you feel…What I think I feel…No one would approve. I better go. That way, we can just live our lives in peace."_

"_But…But…I would approve! And…Without you, my life won't be peaceful! Please, Ninis! Don't leave!" Nergal rushed up to the dragon woman, holding her closely to him. "I don't want you to leave._

"…" _Ninis's eyes softened. Ninis wrapped her arms around Nergal. "Very well…I won't leave. If you want me here, I will stay. The only opinion that matters…Is yours, Nergal." _

"_Thank you, Ninis…What you said earlier…About love…Does that mean…Ninis?" Nergal shook Ninis slightly, brushed her long sky-teal hair._

"_Yes…Nergal. I would be happy to." Ninis nodded into Nergal's shoulder, tears of happiness falling out of her eyes. "I would be more than happy to." Ninis ran a hair through Nergal's bushy black hair and kissed him passionately in the lips._

_  
-----------------_

"_Nils! Ninian! Come on in, children!" Ninis called out from the home they had built on the Isle of Valor. Time had been kind to both Nergal and Ninis. Ninis had grown slightly taller and her figure looked just as fine as a couple of years ago. Nergal had also grown slightly taller, and now his black hair reached the back of his neck. Plus, they had been blessed with two children._

_Nils, a young, somber boy of around six years, ran up to his mother. His wide, bright-red eyes gazed at their house as he hugged his mother's waist. Ninian, a young girl would was one year older than Nils, danced up to her mother. Both children had inherited their mother's hair color and eyes, although Ninian had lighter colored hair and darker eyes while Nils had darker colored hair and brighter eyes. _

"_Where's father?" Nils looked up at Ninis, who smiled._

"_He's inside…Why don't you go look for him? I think he's got something for you." _

"_Yay!" Nils and Ninis rushed inside, squealing with excitement. They ran around the house, searching every room together. _

"_Ha ha! Gotcha!" Nergal popped out behind them and grabbed them, scaring the hell out of the two children. _

"_Father! Don't do that!" Nils looked unhappily at Nergal and Ninian simply nodded agreement._

"_Very well. But look what I got for you!" Nergal pulled out a couple of gifts he had gotten them. "You didn't think that I'd forget about your birthdays, now did you? What kind of father would I be then?"_

"_Yay!" Nils shouted excitedly and opened his package. Lying inside was a miniature flute and a small tambourine. "Hahahaha! Thanks Dad!" Nils picked up his new instruments and began playing with them, blowing out a simple tune._

"_Ooooh…Thank you Daddy!" Ninian pulled out a small dancing shawl and some dancing clothes. The young girl left to change into her new clothes and when she was finished, Nils and Ninian put on a little show for their parents._

_Nergal clapped his hands, his face bright and merry. Everything was going well for him. His practice with elder magic showed no signs of madness and his wife was as beautiful as ever. They lived a nice, quiet life inside a castle on the Isle of Valor and while their neighbors weren't the friendliest of folk, they had a good understanding of each other and helped each other out in a pinch. But something was going to change all that… _

_A year later, everything collapsed around Nergal. Now thirty, the shaman had gained a little weight and didn't move as fast as he used to be able to. However, he was still a formidable magician and he was happy with his life. Until now, that is._

"_What are you doing?" Nergal called out to the people at the front of his castle. "Why are you doing this, my friends?"_

"_We're not your friends!" One of the people, a man from a villager nearby, waved a pitchfork at Nergal. "When you first came here, we thought you were normal! We didn't know you were married to…a freak!" The villager pointed his pitchfork at Ninis, who froze._

"_But…I…I didn't do anything!" Ninis looked helplessly at the mob, clutching her hands to her chest. "I..."_

"_Shut up, you…monster!" A random person in the crown shouted angrily, and Ninis turned, crying._

_Nergal put an arm around Ninis, hoping to shield her. "Don't you dare insult my wife!"_

"_Your wife! Oh, that's rich! Not only did you marry her, you had sex with her! And made a couple of freak children too!" The man with the pitchfork, who apparently was the leader, leered at Nergal. The shaman shuddered angrily, enraged by these insults to himself and his family._

_Nils tugged at the hem of Nergal's robe. "What's wrong, father? Why are they calling us freaks?" _

_Ninian nodded, standing next to her brother. Her eyes were wide and her lower lip was trembling. Nergal leaned down and patted her on the head._

"_It's okay, children…" Nergal smiled at them. "Just a little argument between adults. Why don't you go practice your dancing?"_

_Ninian and Nils nodded energetically, the last traces of fear fading from their eyes. Nergal turned back to face the angry villagers._

"_What have we done to earn such disrespect?" Nergal spread his arms wide in a gesture of peace. "We have not harmed you in any way."_

_The leader paused, thinking of a rebuttal to Nergal's calm statement. "You…You just want us in a state of peace so you can kill us later!"_

"_But that's foolish!" _

"_You're calling us foolish now? Come on, boys! Let's get them!" The leader raised his pitchfork and the mod swarmed the castle, throwing rocks and various other things against the castle walls. Ninis turned and looked mournfully at Nergal._

"_I knew this would happen…It was too good to be true…" Ninis sighed and slid off a ring on her finger. "Give this to the children…I'm sure they would have wanted it. I might as well go out there and face my punishment." Ninis shook her sky-teal hair sadly. "…If only dragons weren't reviled in this world…We could live in peace…"_

"_But we can still leave in peace! I can use my magic and take these villagers far away!" Nergal protested, but Ninis shook her head and placed the ring in Nergal's hand._

"_No…My time is now. Besides, it was fun, right? I'm glad to have met someone like you." Ninis smiled and kissed Nergal one last time before walking towards the castle gates. Nergal held out a hand to stop her, but he shook his head and lowered it._

"_Good luck…My darling." Nergal ran after the children, where he found them practicing their music. "Come on, kids. We're going to have to go on a vacation for a while."_

"_Really? Why do we have to leave? And where's Mother?" Nils looked up from his flute._

"_Yeah. Where's Mommy?" Ninian looked up as well, her shawl draped around her shoulders. _

"_Mommy's going to be coming in a couple of minutes." Nergal ruffled their hair slightly to calm them down. "See? She gave me this ring to give you." Nergal placed the ring into Ninian's palm and led them to a large portal standing in the middle of the castle. "Okay, if Mommy and I aren't back in a couple of minutes, I want you two to go in, okay? Ninian, I already showed you how to open it, right?"_

"_Right, daddy." Ninian nodded bravely and took Nils' hand._

"_That's my girl." Nergal smiled. "I'm going to go help Mommy pack, okay? Remember, if we're not back in a while, go inside. We will be back there soon."_

"_Okay, daddy. I hope Mommy finishes packing soon." Ninian nodded and smiled, but her eyes showed that she knew what really was happening._

"_I hope so too." Nergal smiled back and rushed off to help his wife against the mob. _

_As he rushed back to the front of the castle, Nergal paused as he looked at a painting hanging on the wall. A friend of his, a very good friend of his, had made a portrait of him and Ninis. And strangely enough, his friend had asked Ninis to go into dragon form. He said that it would show people that humans and dragons could like in peace. Nergal shook his head. He doubted the painting could show the mob about how dragons and humans could coexist._

_When he finally reached the location where the mob was, Nergal stopped, horrified. His wife was being tied to a stake and a couple of villagers were torturing her, punching her in the stomach and face. Ninis was bruised all around her body, but she still seemed to be alive. Nergal felt a kindling of rage burn within his heart._

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" Nergal rushed outside, his eyes flashing._

"_You shut up! It's time to kill the freak!" The leader grabbed a sword from one of his comrades and waved it in front of Ninis' face. The dragon woman sighed sadly, her eyes faded from pain._

"_Sorry…Nergal." Ninis closed her eyes and waited for the sword to pierce her body. The leader smirked._

"_It's a good thing you're here! You can watch your bitch die!" The leader stabbed Ninis straight through her heart, driving the sword through her body. Ninis gasped once, blood flying out of her lips before she died. Nergal shuddered angrily and pulled out his magic tome._

"_I thought I could use my magic to help people! I thought I could use it to make this world a better place! I WAS WRONG! People are bastards! Just plain, fucking bastards! I left you in peace! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Nergal's eyes glowed and he…pulled with his magic, ripping the leader's head from his shoulders. The rest of the mob looked horrified and began scattering._

"_You think you can just run after what you did to me?" Nergal shouted angrily and waved one of his hands in the air, calling up shadows that enveloped some of the mob, choking them to death. "I JUST WANTED TO LIVE IN PEACE! And this is what you do!" Nergal raged, shooting his magic around indiscriminately, blowing up sections of the ground and the castle. Some of his magic sliced into the villagers and some of his other magic delved deep into the ground, only to spring up and destroy the landscape around it. _

_Nergal lowered his arms and sank to the floor, sobbing. "Ninis…Oh Ninis…They…They will all pay for their actions!" Nergal stood up, filled with a feeling of vengeance burning in his body. He stopped beside Ninis's body, stroking her cold cheek. "And…When I am done, I'll lay you to rest…In the world you thought was so exciting…"_

_  
------------------------------_

_Nergal stood outside of the village that had attacked his castle and killed his wife. He used his magic to amplify his voice and shouted a warning to the villagers. "Because of your stupidity, my wife is dead! Because of the fools from your village, all that I've worked so hard for has been destroyed! Because of you all, you shall die!" _

_Men, women, and children rushed out of their homes, looking fearfully at the shaman, who glared at them. Nergal called upon his powers again, darkening the sky so that everything looked close to pitch black. Shrieks of terror and fright resounded through the village, and Nergal smiled._

"_I'm glad you think this is scary. How scary do you think it will be when someone else comes and finds all of your bodies lying on the ground?" Nergal cast his spells again and formed a sword purely of elder magic into his hand. "DIE!" Nergal rushed into the village, swinging his sword._

_  
----------------------------------_

_Nergal placed the last stone on the grave, using his magic to fashion Ninis's grave. The shaman sighed sadly. "Oh…Ninis…Why can't we…?" He stood up, looking at the abandoned castle. After he had returned from his massacre, he had found that Ninian and Nils had already left, gone back to the dragon world. _

"…_Everyone will pay…And thanks to my magic…I have the capacity to do that. I have learned even more from my rampage. People are stupid and boorish. Only a being that has been created from magic is pure. One that looks like a human, acts like a human, but has none of humanity's flaws." Nergal's eyes glinted. "Looks like I have more studying to do."_

_Nergal whipped his cloak over his shoulders and disappeared. _

Nergal sighed as he saw his actions fly past him. His first morph, Kishuna. Renault, the man who had helped him research his dark studies. His battle with Athos, which earned him his infected eye. Athos, coincidentally, was the one who had painted that portrait of him and Ninis. Nergal hoped that the painting was still around.

"So it all ends…For naught…For naught…" Nergal closed his eyes and rested, searching for his beloved Ninis. _'Love, peace, happiness, joy, family...Too much...Too much to want.'_

* * *

Chris: Ooooh…Weirdness. If you've gotten a couple of supports and the extra level, you'll know everything that I've put in here. Except for Nergal and Ninis. Cause I added those. Cause…I don't know. I felt like it. And I just found out that if you put the borders in italics, QuickEdit doesn't take them off. Awesome. Review please! 


	7. Self Doubt

Chris: As per my usual explanation, just thought it up and felt like it.

**DotDotDot Man: **Glad you like it.

**Nightmare3: **Yep. I write strange stories. It's really fun, actually.

**Min the Noodle: **Well, Ninian and Nils did say that the ring came from their mother, so…yeah, that's probably how part of this fic got made. Thanks for the compliments.

**Phantom Kensai: **Yeah….But Marcus sucks anyway. And he sucks even more in FE 6. So we're technically doing the people in the future a favor. I think.

**Someone: **Thanks for the compliments.

* * *

**Self Doubt**

"You did a great job, Erk. Fantastic!" Eliwood cheered as he slapped the young mage on the back. They had recently come out as the victor in a series of pitched battles against the Black Fang. This was mainly due to the valor of all of Eliwood's troops. However, Erk, a young purple-haired mage from Etruria, seemed to contribute the most to their war effort. At every edge of the field, he seemed to be there, launching his magic at the approaching forces. Fire and thunder flew from his fingertips, tearing up mounds of dirt and launching Black Fang members high in the air before they crashed into the torn-up ground with a sickening thud.

As for the hero in question…. He looked up and smiled faintly. "Thank you for your praise…But I didn't do much."

"He's modest, too!" Hector let out a booming guffaw and gave the mage a hearty pound on the back, which knocked Erk onto the floor and face-full into a mound of dirt. Erk wiped mud and dirt from his face and robes as he got up.

"Thank you, Lord Hector…But I must get back to my studies. I need to practice my spells." Erk nodded to Hector and Eliwood before walking off, looking at the ground.

Hector scratched his head. "Was it something I said?"

"I don't think so, Hector. That's probably the way he is." Eliwood looked at Erk's retreating figure. "But all of this studying is going to incapacitate him in one way or another. It's unhealthy for a young man to be cooped up with dusty tomes."

"Thanks why I'm the healthiest man around! You won't catch _me_ near any books!" Hector's booming laughter rang out again.

"Exactly. Which is why I always got higher grades than you in our classes." Eliwood smirked. "Come on, Hector. Let's check on the others."

_---_

Erk opened the flap to his tent and collapsed on a wooden chair situated near a small desk. He quickly opened up one of the books lying there and began poring over the words, hoping to memorize every single word, every single detail. One might ask why a person would do such a thing. Even Canas, the army's resident magic/history/archeology buff didn't study as much as Erk did. Everyone was confused and slightly worried about his behavior.

Especially his magic teacher and mentor, Lord Pent. A sage of magnificent power who studied under the Archsage Athos himself, Pent was extremely confused by his pupil's behavior. Sure, when he was young, he studied long and hard, but not with the single-minded intensity that Erk displayed. Pent liked to walk around, enjoy the nature that gave his magic power and form. To him, he could learn more by lying on the grass and watching the clouds pass by.

One day, Pent decided to get to the bottom of this. The silver-haired sage walked to Erk's tent and lifted the flap, looking inside. There was Erk, poring over his tomes, as usual.

Erk looked up from his books. "What is it, Master Pent?"

"Erk…Why do you spend so much time over your books? Surely you can enjoy your life, right?"

"Yes, master…But I would rather remain in here, studying."

"Why? Don't you want to go outside? Feel the wind on your face? Did you forget what happened the last time you studied this hard?" Pent's eyes narrowed with concern.

Erk looked at the ground, upset. "Yes, master."

"Now tell me, Erk. What is the problem?"

Erk sighed. "Well, master Pent, have you ever felt that you weren't good enough to do something?"

Pent eyes widened. "Well, sometimes."

"With me, that's always. I don't need people telling me that I can't do anything or that I'm not strong enough. I do it to myself. Every time I go into battle, I always wonder…Is this the time where my magic will go awry? Is this the time where my magic won't be powerful enough to kill my enemy? Will this be the time where I will fail my friends…You…Everyone? That's why I study so hard. If I study…Then maybe…I can do everything."

"Erk! Don't be a fool! You can do anything you put your mind to!"

"I know, master Pent!" Erk said. "But still! It gnaws at me! Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I see people dying around me! It could be one of our leaders, it could be anyone in this whole army! Sometimes it's someone I don't even know! And in front of me, I'm shooting fire at an unseen enemy. It explodes and I think I've defeated it…But the enemy comes through the blast and kills the person I'm trying to protect! Every night, the same dream, over and over again!" Erk's voice had risen. He was getting slightly hysterical.

Pent stared at his pupil for a while. "I understand. Well, if you think studying will help you do everything you can, then go right ahead. Just remember to go out and take in the fresh air once in a while, okay?" He stood and left the tent, leaving the purple-haired mage alone.

"Right…" Erk shook his head dazedly and went back to his tomes, poring over every letter to make sure he got everything correct.

_---_

The days passed on and the army continued its march across the continent, following the trail of Nergal and the corrupt Black Fang. In the numerous encounters they faced, Erk tried his best and accomplished much, becoming one of the best warriors in the army. But still, in the back of his head was the nagging feeling that he wasn't good enough, that he would fail. So, the mage continued to study in his tent.

Now, people other than Lord Pent and Lady Louise were getting worried. Canas, a fellow magic-user with an insatiable taste for the unknown as well as Priscilla, a royal healer who had romantic feelings for the mage were the first to try to break through Erk's impenetrable emotional barrier.

"Erk, I know that books contain vast amounts of knowledge and that every word is proof that we are alive…But aren't you pushing it?" Canas adjusted his monocle. "I've talked with your teacher, Lord Pent. I know what you're going through-."

Erk whirled on the shaman. "Do you really know what I'm going through? Please…Just leave me alone to my studies! I…I need to prove to _myself_ that I am strong! That I am deserving of this praise! Every thought is a detraction of my character. I'm too short. I'm not handsome. I'm not skilled in the ways of magic. I'm not healthy….Everything! I…I wish I could stop, but the thoughts keep coming! Only by studying do they go away!" He stared at his tomes, which were lying in a heap on his desk. "If I analyze every letter and word, I'm certain that I will never fail! Ever!"

"Yes, but isn't there a limit to all of this?" Canas looked at Erk uneasily.

"The limit will come when I stop doubt myself. When I finally realize that I can accomplish everything I want to. When that moment comes…I will toss these tomes into a fire and live my life a man free of self-doubt." Erk smiled, envisioning the scene. He shook his head. "But that time…will be long in coming. I still hear it. My voice, echoing in my head, telling me that I'm not strong. That my magic is not strong enough."

"…" Canas shook his head mournfully, leaving the mage's tent. He met Priscilla, the red-haired healer, as he left the tent. "He…His self-confidence is lower than anyone else's. I've never seen anyone like that." Canas slid his hands into the pockets sewn into his black and purple robes and walked off, muttering.

Priscilla clutched her healing staff to her chest and looked worriedly at the tent. "Oh…Erk." She lifted the flap with her staff and walked inside. "Erk?"

"Yes? What is it, Priscilla?" Erk turned from his seat again, his eyes lighting up slightly as he spotted her.

"Erk…I'm worried about you." She sat down on Erk's small cot, across from the mage. "I never get a chance to speak with you, except in battle. And that isn't conversation…. I want to speak with you, as people…Not as soldiers."

Erk lifted an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You worry me, Erk! You always spend your time cooped up in your tent, reading your books! Why don't you spend time with others? Enjoy life? Walk through the forests? When have you read a book just for the sake of reading it, not so you can glean knowledge from the words?" Priscilla's eyes were wide, pleading, as was her tone.

Erk started in surprise. "W-Well…"

"Erk! Answer me!"

"…I don't remember." Erk looked at the ground sadly.

Priscilla frowned. "This is what I'm talking about! You need to go out! You're worrying all of us, just not me! We're like a family in this army, Erk! We need to talk to each other!" She leaned forward and grasped Erk's hands.

"P-Priscilla…" Erk flushed. "Look…It's not that easy, okay? I…I've got some problems with myself that I need to work out first."

"What are they?" Priscilla looked at Erk, her eyes round. "You can tell me. I'm…I'm your friend, right?"

"You consider me a friend?" Erk's eyes widened.

"Yes! Of course!" Priscilla stared at Erk, her eyes fierce. "I like you, Erk! I like you a lot!" Priscilla gasped and brought her hands to her mouth when she realized what she had said.

Erk flushed a little more. "W-Well…To tell you the truth…I like you too…It's just that…I didn't think I was good enough for you."

"Erk! …You were always good enough for me." Priscilla kissed Erk lightly on the cheek and stood. "I…I have to leave. I hope that you get out more, Erk. Please…For me?" Priscilla turned and left the tent, leaving the mage to think.

_---_

Once again, time moved on its infinite circuit and Erk continued to struggle the voice in his head and the words from Priscilla. He managed to eke out a small compromise. As Priscilla had advised, Erk stopped studying as much and spent some time outside, walking through the open plains with the wind brushing against his face and the sun shining over his head. He had to admit, it was a refreshing feeling when it wasn't during the heat of battle.

And he reviewed his feelings for Priscilla. Now that he realized that Priscilla truly liked him, the voice that was nagging him about how he wasn't good enough for her disappeared in his head. Unfortunately, it was replaced with another thought. A thought that said that Priscilla was only saying those things so she could take advantage of him. A thought that said that Priscilla loved someone else and that she thought he was beneath her notice. Luckily for Erk, he realized that those thoughts were complete garbage, so he was able to ignore them with some success.

Priscilla and Erk were now recognized as a couple within the army, with only Sain and Raven upset. Sain because another girl had turned him down for someone else and Raven because he was Priscilla's brother. But Raven was able to keep his brotherly instincts under control, although he still would have preferred to know about her feelings before she had dropped this bombshell on him.

Erk had improved, mentally and physically. He did no longer doubt himself as much and he spent less and less time in his tent as the days went on. However, the voices still echoed in his head, still resounding in the cries that he would fail and he would let everyone down. And that dream still persisted. The dream of him failing the person who was in danger. The person who died because he had been too weak.

_---_

Time continued to tick away and the army was on the shores of Valor Isle, come to settle the score with Nergal once and for all. They were under siege by legions of morphs, creatures that looked the same and had no personality and blithely obeyed the orders of their creator. In a sense, clones. One morph, a woman named Limstella, was leading the attack and had the supreme advantage of greater numbers. Fortunately for them, Eliwood and his friends were a lot stronger than the mass-produced morphs.

But that didn't stop the enemies from coming. And soon, the army was split up into small two to three man cells. Erk and Priscilla were fighting together. When Priscilla had gained enough experience to move onto the next level of magic, she had asked Erk to help teach her how to use nature magic. She was an apt student and Erk often felt that she was better than he was. Priscilla had just laughed.

Magic exploded from Erk's fingertips as he laced deadly fire through the enemy ranks, turning the morphs into ash that quickly blew away in the wind. Erk breathed in, smiling happily. So far, they were doing fine from the onslaught of morphs. Luckily for them, they had been fighting against wyvern knights and cavaliers, enemies that were weak against their magic.

"Erk! There are more coming!" Priscilla looked up and pointed to the sky. Erk cursed. They were pegasus knights, flying soldiers renowned for their ability to shrug off magical attacks at astounding speeds. Priscilla called down thunder to strike down one of them and succeed, only to feel her magic tome dissolve in her hands, the magic that had bound it together disappearing.

Priscilla turned, looking worriedly at Erk. The mage grimaced and searched through his pack for an extra tome. There were no more.

"Don't worry, Priscilla! I'll protect you!" Erk launched fire from his hands, turning the approaching pegasus knights into dust. Each one fell to the fury of his magic. That is, all but one. One still remained, looking as strong as it did when Erk first began his attack. The mage cursed silently. It was a falcon knight, the deceiving name given to pegasus knights that have surpassed all others in terms of speed and magical resistance.

The falcon knight dive-bombed Priscilla, the knight's lance gripped firmly in her hands. Erk called upon all of his magical energy, sending an orb of pure fire to incinerate the falcon knight. He watched as the orb flew right at the pegasus, exploding brilliantly in a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. Erk sighed. The danger was gone. Or at least he thought.

The falcon knight burst through the inferno, still charging straight at Priscilla. The falcon knight's lance tore through Priscilla's chest, knocking the girl off of her horse and launching her to the ground, her blood flying through the air.

"NO!" Erk yelled in horror. _'The dream!'_ He stared at Priscilla's unmoving body. _'The dream!'_ He looked at the blood staining the ground, turning it a sickly red. _'The dream…THE DREAM CAME TRUE!'_ Erk fell to his knees, stunned. The voices in his head resounded in victory, telling him that he truly was worthless, that he was weak and miserable.

Looking at the corpse of his beloved, Erk didn't care what the voices said. He didn't notice the sounds of battle resounding over him. He didn't notice the cool breeze in the air. He didn't notice the fact that Priscilla's horse had run off, terrified that its mount had been killed.

And he didn't notice the blood-stained lance aimed for his chest…

* * *

Chris: There it is. Hope you enjoyed it, and you know. Review please. Advice and stuff is always appreciated, just as long as it's good advice. 


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